UK Charities Warn Rising Hate Threatens Staff Safety

Published: 13 October 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

Charities across the UK have raised alarm over a sharp rise in racial abuse, intimidation, and threats of violence directed at their staff and beneficiaries, amid increasingly toxic political and social rhetoric around immigration and race.

Voluntary organisations, including refugee and asylum seeker charities, ethnic minority groups, women’s organisations, youth bodies, homelessness charities, and even charity shops, report being targeted with both verbal and physical attacks. The incidents range from threats to rape or kill staff, to attempted break-ins, vandalism, and anti-migrant graffiti.

Saskia Konynenburg, executive director at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said that charities were being “targeted because of what they stand for and who they support.” She warned that the scale and frequency of such threats risked becoming the “new normal,” forcing organisations to invest heavily in staff and property protection.

The escalation of threats follows the far-right Southport riots in 2024 and has been linked to inflammatory political and social media commentary around immigrants arriving in “small boats.” Charities note that abuse is increasingly extreme, uninhibited, and expressed both online and in the streets.

A coalition of more than 150 charities, including Age UK, Citizens Advice, and the Muslim Council of Britain, recently wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging the government to challenge what they describe as the “cynical” targeting of civil society organisations by far-right politicians and activists seeking to stoke division.

Ali Harris, chief executive of equality and human rights charity Equally Ours, which coordinated the letter, emphasised the urgency of a united response. “The devastating antisemitic attack at Heaton Park Synagogue is a tragic reminder that it’s never been more important for us all to stand together when communities are targeted,” she said.

One charity chief executive told the Guardian that mainstream political rhetoric denigrating immigrants and refugees, especially from the political right, had created a “permission structure” for racism. Far-right activists, emboldened by this environment, were increasingly turning hate into action, often targeting organisations that support vulnerable communities.

Incidents continue to escalate. Last month, a drug and alcohol charity in east London that had previously shared premises with a refugee support group was defaced with far-right graffiti, including a George Cross and references to the 2024 Southport riots. Volunteers who cleaned the premises found the building defaced again shortly after, reflecting the persistence of harassment.

In response, some charities have introduced extensive security measures. These include installing safe rooms, issuing phone trackers to staff, hiring private security, removing signage from offices, redacting staff and trustee names from websites, and temporarily closing offices on police advice. Others have restricted outreach services and drawn up emergency plans to mitigate the risk of attacks.

One refugee charity reported spending “60% of the time managing safety issues related to far-right activism,” while another described plans to invest thousands of pounds in personal safety devices. Leaders across the sector agree that heightened security protocols are becoming an unavoidable part of operations.

Despite the threats, many charity staff remain committed to their work. One London-based asylum seeker charity executive, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, said: “The threats have a chilling effect, but staff are determined to continue. We do this work because the people we support have endured terrible experiences and deserve a bit of kindness.”

The coalition’s letter to the prime minister calls for “clear and consistent leadership” to defend inclusion, equality, and anti-racism, and to counteract divisive tactics that scapegoat communities for political gain. The letter warned that the far-right’s rhetoric causes harm across society, undermines the rule of law, and targets women, girls, and minority communities.

It highlights a surge in racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and antisemitism, noting attacks on charity staff, volunteers, lawyers, and civil society groups working with vulnerable populations. Organisations fear that without intervention, these threats will continue to escalate, further endangering both staff and the communities they serve.

A government spokesperson said, “Racism is completely unacceptable and has no place in our society. This government has pride in our tolerant and diverse country and is committed to tackling inequality at its roots. We work closely with ethnic minority leaders to enact change and have a strong legal framework to prosecute those responsible for these abhorrent offences.”

The warnings from the UK’s charities serve as a stark reminder of the human cost of divisive rhetoric. While the political and social landscape continues to shift, the dedication of charity workers persists, even as their safety increasingly comes under threat. As these organisations navigate an environment of rising hostility, their resilience and commitment to vulnerable communities highlight the crucial role of civil society in upholding the principles of equality and human rights.