Women’s Rights Groups Warn Far-Right Is Exploiting Women’s Safety for Political Gain

Published: 22 August 2025. The English Chronicle Desk

Leading women’s rights organisations have raised serious concerns that far-right groups in the United Kingdom are exploiting the issue of women’s safety to further a political agenda. More than 100 organisations have written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, urging the government to act against the “weaponisation” of violence against women and girls (VAWG) by far-right activists, which they claim is being used to advance a “racist, anti-migrant agenda.”

The warning comes amid weeks of demonstrations outside hotels housing asylum seekers, where protestors have cited concerns about women’s safety as a justification for their actions. According to the letter, coordinated by the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Women for Refugee Women, Hibiscus, and Southall Black Sisters, these demonstrations have created fear among women, children, and families living in temporary asylum accommodations. The groups highlighted how “vital conversations” about VAWG have been “hijacked” by a divisive anti-migrant narrative, which not only misleads the public but also harms survivors.

The letter emphasises that attempts to conflate violence against women with immigration issues have already led to targeted harassment of minoritised and Muslim communities, echoing previous instances where public tragedies were used to justify violent protests. Frontline organisations such as Rape Crisis England and Wales, Refuge, and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust have also lent their support to the statement, underscoring the urgent need for evidence-based public discourse on the issue.

The organisations warn that the spread of false statistics and narratives about the nationality of perpetrators risks “normalising and enabling the spreading of racist narratives by the far-right.” They stress that such misinformation reinforces damaging myths about gender-based violence, particularly the belief that most attacks are committed by strangers, while ignoring systemic issues. By shifting blame onto migrant communities, the letter argues, perpetrators of gendered violence may evade accountability, and vulnerable women are exposed to even greater risk under hostile immigration policies.

Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, stated that the far-right’s exploitation of VAWG is part of a broader white supremacist agenda, which undermines the autonomy, rights, and freedoms of women and girls. Andrea Vukovic, co-director of Women for Refugee Women, said that many women who have fled war and persecution have been too afraid to leave their homes due to attacks targeting migrant and racialised communities. Selma Taha, executive director of Southall Black Sisters, added that attempts to weaponise VAWG through racist scapegoating not only distract from meaningful solutions but also further marginalise Black, minoritised, and migrant survivors.

A Home Office spokesperson responded by stating that all acts of violence against women and girls are “intolerable” and emphasised that the government’s upcoming VAWG Strategy aims to protect vulnerable groups and halve such crimes over the next decade. The spokesperson also noted measures being taken to address public concern about immigration, including legal changes to deny asylum to registered sex offenders and efforts to deport them from the UK.

The joint warning from women’s organisations underscores a growing call for responsible, evidence-based discussions about gender-based violence, highlighting the risks of politicising sensitive social issues and the importance of protecting the most vulnerable in society.