On Monday I brought together a panel of experts to explore how we can best counter the rise of the far right. 

The rise of far-right movements is one of the most pressing challenges we face. Compassion has a vital role to play in creating communities that are resilient enough to withstand the threats it poses and also to reach across divides.  

Our experts, who were drawn from leading organisations in the field -  Stand Up to Racism, Lena Swedlow - Compass, Ben Laepple - Berlin Political Tech Summit , and Shaista Aziz - the Three Hijabis - shared insights on how far-right extremism is fuelled by economic inequality, misinformation, social isolation and political disengagement—and how we, as a compassionate community, can act to combat this.

Key Takeaways:

1. These movements thrive on misinformation, fear, and disenfranchisement, using events like the tragic Southport murders to drive violence and spread hateful lies. Our collective response must be to build a strong counter-narrative rooted in compassion and truth. By fostering empathy, we can better understand the fears driving people towards extremism and work to build dialogue and understanding—without excusing harmful actions.
2. Far-right rhetoric preys on economic insecurity and political dysfunction. As Lena Sedlow from Compass highlighted, democratic reforms and civic engagement are essential tools to push back against this rise.
3. Ben Laepple, who is Berlin based, reminded us that far-right movements are a global issue, with historical parallels in the misuse of new technologies to spread authoritarian ideologies. Today, social media plays a similar role.
4. Shaista Aziz emphasised how Islamophobia and racism are central to far-right ideologies, with devastating impacts on marginalised communities, especially Muslim women. Anti-racism education and stronger protections are essential.
5. Finally, Ben I from Stand Up to Racism, whose organisation does incredible work on the ground, spoke about the need to engage and better understand the mental mindset that drives extreme views. He also highlighted the role of foreign powers and funders in driving misinformation and hate. 

We need a new approach to politics if we are going to be able to challenge these dangerous and cruel far right narratives and build a more hopeful politics. 

We must join and support democratic reforms that give a voice to all and reduce the influence of divisive politics. This includes a legal ban on lying in politics.

We know that together, we can build a compassionate and inclusive future—one that rejects the politics of division and fear. 

Can you help us drive the fair-right agenda out of our politics? We need funding and resources to keep up the pressure, both by calling for reforms in parliament and directly challenging the far-right in our communities. 

Donate by clicking here.

Warm regards,

Anya Sizer

Democracy & Parliamentary Lead

Compassion in Politics

P.S. If you missed the webinar, you can catch up on the discussion by clicking here.