This is why so many people are wearing safety pins after the Brexit vote

Ben Kenyon

If you’ve just come back from the moon, Britain voted to leave the EU.

For many it represents a new start for the country of complete self determination and independence from European rule.

For many others Brexit is the day Britain turned its back on Europe and closed its doors to our neighbours.

Whichever way you voted, people of both stripes have been horrified at the ugly upshot of hate crimes across the country in the wake of the EU Referendum.

There has been a 57 per cent spike in reports to this online hate crime reporting site since last Thursday’s vote, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Immigrants, or people perceived to be immigrants, have suffered the brunt of these attacks with Polish school children being targeted, racist graffiti appearing in cities and even a former US Army veteran allegedly being abused on a Manchester tram.

I'm very sad to read the news about the racist attacks across the UK in the past few days #PostRefRacism #brexit pic.twitter.com/cXNGBYJfqA

— Aleksandra Karpowicz (@a_karpowicz) June 26, 2016

The main thrust of the xenophobic and racist hatred again and again appears to be ‘We voted Leave, so you should go home’.

Decent people on all sides have been appalled but in the face of this rising tide of hate one American immigrant living in the UK has done something about it.

Allison, who is from the US but lives in London, wanted to create something in solidarity against racism in the same vein as the Ride With Me movement after the Sydney cafe shootings.

She told the Indy100 she came up with the idea of people wearing a simple safety pin as a sign of support to anyone who feels threatened in the UK at a time when hate crimes were on the rise.

So I have an idea similar to #ridewithme to help protect those eing abused as result of Brexit referendum – but I need your help.

— miss pommery 1926 ✊ (@cheeahs) June 26, 2016

The idea being that anyone against the sort of nationalistic, racist violence we've been seeing could identify themselves as a "safe" ally.

— miss pommery 1926 ✊ (@cheeahs) June 26, 2016

I'd like to come up with something that can be made by anybody anywhere to pin on their jacket or coat to signify that they are an ally.

— miss pommery 1926 ✊ (@cheeahs) June 26, 2016

A safe person to sit next to on a bus, walk next to on a street, even have a conversation with.

— miss pommery 1926 ✊ (@cheeahs) June 26, 2016

I quite like the idea of just putting a safety pin, empty of anything else, on your coat. A literal SAFETY pin!

— miss pommery 1926 ✊ (@cheeahs) June 26, 2016

She came up with the idea while watching Euro 2016 with her husband at the pub. But since then the idea and the #SafetyPins hashtag has been adopted by scores of British people.

She explained: “Thousands of people who voted both ways have been horrified by [the attacks]. Regular people need to know that they can do something small about it.”

“It’s simple because you don’t have to go out and buy it, there’s no language or political slogans involved.

“It’s just a little signal that shows people facing hate crimes that they’re not alone and their right to be in the UK is supported.”

Already the movement has swept across Twitter..

https://twitter.com/keithgrimes/status/748053547841896449

https://twitter.com/Markfergusonuk/status/748078654735921152

https://twitter.com/DrAlakbarov/status/748067533614354432

https://twitter.com/psimonk/status/748058862931087360

A small addition to my clothing today for solidarity against racism. #safetypin pic.twitter.com/sunKskLTKg

— Albert Freeman (@AlbFreeman) June 29, 2016

https://twitter.com/clinteldorado/status/747811377625042945

And she managed to piss off Piers Morgan, she she must be doing something right…