Dismantling the Hate Economy of racism and anti-migrant prejudice in the UK

A replica mosque set ablaze on a bonfire in Northern Ireland. Arrests over an alleged far-right threat to a Muslim event. An election candidate in Manchester calling for non-Reform UK voters to house ‘migrant rapists’. These incidents, all in the last week, are the latest examples of hate in Britain.

That’s why we’ve set up the Hate Economy – a series dedicated to exposing those who profit from hate and telling the stories of those who pay the price. We will do so through robust, fact-based and fearless journalism, and by working with people and communities whose voices are rarely heard.

But we need your help. The Bureau is a small nonprofit newsroom. What we want to achieve will take time and money, so today we’re launching a crowdfunding campaign to help build a long-term project that can make a real difference.

What’s more: every pound you donate over the next six weeks will be match funded at no extra cost to you.

Let there be no mistaking how urgent this is.

It has never been easier to spread hate – and make money from doing so. AI and social media enable hateful content to be created and shared around the world in seconds, generating a fortune for those responsible, as we have revealed with our reporting on bad actors, including in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Hate both fuels and feeds off a wider climate of prejudice. Far right protesters on the streets in unprecedented numbers. Large parts of the British media report relentlessly on the “migrant crisis”, fomenting fear and anger. Asylum hotel protests. Vigilante groups. The weaponisation of our national flag. Politicians lamenting an island of strangers being torn apart by illegal immigration.

The result? Migrant rights charities targeted with threats and abuse. Islamophobic and antisemitic attacks on our streets. Migrants forced to flee homes set on fire.

The causes of this hate and division are deep-rooted, the interest groups numerous and powerful. It feels all-consuming, especially for those caught in the middle – anyone not born in the UK – and those who are targeted for their religion or the colour of their skin.

But, as human rights activist Dame Sara Khan wrote in her recent report on extremism in the UK: “Seeing the scale of the problem clearly is not the same as giving up. If anything, it is the precondition for doing something about it.”

In recent months, we’ve spoken to many people and organisations who want to do something about this. With your support we will work with them to combat hate, counter harmful narratives and give people with lived experience of migration the opportunity to tell their own stories.

This isn’t about being “pro-migration” or dismissing concerns about housing or health and other public services – unless they’re based on false information.

This is about hate, prejudice, racism – whichever word you want to use – and the fundamental right not to be subjected to it. There can be no sitting on the fence when it comes to that.

Our crowdfunder will be open until 26th August. Thanks to match-funding, even small donations will go a long way. Please consider supporting us and sharing the campaign with your networks. And, if you have a question about the project or would like to get involved, please email hateeconomy@tbij.com.