Safety Pin Campaign Created Following Brexit to Show Solidarity

In times of uncertainty, the smallest gesture can have the biggest impact. Wearing a safety pin somewhere on your clothing might not seem like its making all the difference, but for those you are standing with, it can.

The Safety Pin Campaign was started recently by a woman named Allison – @cheeahs on Twitter – who wanted a gesture that everyone could do to show solidarity with any immigrants or foreign nationals living in Great Britain. Allison lives near a recently vandalised Polish cultural centre, and wanting to create a gesture to reach out to those who may feel intimidated or threatened on the streets near where she lives and around the country. She calls the gesture “a literal SAFETY pin”.

“A safe person to sit next to on a bus, walk next to on a street. And anyone against racism can wear one, no matter where they live or how they voted”

The campaign has gained momentum on Twitter, with hundreds of tweets using the hashtag #safetypin over the past week. Hundreds of people have uploaded photos of themselves wearing the safety pin, encouraging others to do the same to spread the message of acceptance.

Some celebrities have even got involved, such as the actress Amanda Abbington from Sherlock and the author Lindsey Kelk. News outlets are spreading the message, and a new hashtag #safetypinglobal is attempting to send the message around the world.

When uncertainty is created by the few, it is important for the many to stand up and make a gesture, and this campaign started by one woman, a self-professed “accidental anti-racism campaigner” does just that.