Voting Against Hate
| Dear friends,If you think all hope is lost, think again.This weekend, everyone expected the extreme right to win in France. Millions of people had other ideas.They voted. In droves!And they beat the far right’s hate and division. Into third place. It’s unbelievable!And it’s not just in France. In the biggest election year in history, far-right populists were planning to pop the champagne in country after country across Europe – but across the continent people rose to beat them back. The far right grew a little, but the centre held.Over the last couple of months, Avaazers fought tooth and nail across Europe and beyond. We brought together Holocaust survivors and took over TV stations and newspapers, investigated the far right’s ties to dictators. We grabbed public attention with demonstrations, media stunts and viral videos that reached millions — and moved politicians to tears by bringing the survivors of far-right policies to the halls of power.  I’ve never been more proud to be part of this movement.And I hope you’re just as proud. None of this would have been possible without you. Without your belief that it’s worth fighting even if the odds are stacked against us. Without the hundreds of thousands of signatures and small donations that each say:Hope dies last.Hell yeah it does! So, here’s a glimpse into the work we did over the last couple of months – from France to Germany, from Poland to Spain. For all the hope and determination you brought to make this happen:Thank you! |
We start in Germany. At the beginning of the year, the extreme right was riding high in the polls — but as they wanted to kick off their EU elections campaign, we were awaiting them with a gigantic billboard truck, highlighting their ties to dictators. The police almost shut us down, but we made it onto the main evening TV news – getting our message to over 10 million viewers!And that set us on a roll.In Spain, as far-right leaders from across the globe gathered for a ‘Summit of Hate’, we helped bring together thousands in a huge rally showing that people everywhere oppose their vicious agenda — and made headlines across the world. And we pressed on: from covering Marseille with guerilla posters and organising gatherings across France, to giant mirrors in Berlin showing terrifying quotes reflecting the true horror of far-right hate.We amplified powerful voices and reached millions
In Poland, we brought together four powerful freedom fighters from four generations, releasing a joint letter in the country’s major newspaper, calling on people to vote against far-right extremists. It was the first time the country saw such an intergenerational call, and their message of unity echoed on social media across the country. In the end, the far-right party didn’t win in Poland – for the first time in ten years!Then, just days before the elections, we organised a huge press conference in Berlin with Holocaust survivors calling on young voters to vote against the far right: “We couldn’t prevent it back then. But you can today.” The room was full of journalists, but completely silent as they spoke. That same day, their plea was in media outlets across Europe and globally: The Guardian, Le Monde, Die Zeit, CNN. Meanwhile, we reached tens of millions on social media from TikTok to Instagram!And as votes were counted on the night of European Elections, we brought joy, fun and tears directly to the heart of Brussels with choirs outside the European parliament singing ‘Bella Ciao’, the anthem of resistance against fascism. A video of the moment went viral and we created another splash in the media.But we didn’t stop there!
After the elections, there was still a threat that the far right could be given too much power. To help prevent that, we brought together people who lived and suffered under far-right governments in Poland, Italy, and Hungary … and are standing up against these extremist forces!This group of survivors travelled with us to Brussels to deliver an open letter warning EU leaders not to do deals with the far right. Then, something truly powerful happened: in meeting after meeting, the survivors moved politicians to tears. They told them what life is really like under the far right, and urged them to take a stance for the most threatened.And we kept going, last stop: France!In France, our investigations exposed the threat of Marine Le Pen’s party to democracy – from their attacks on women’s rights to their links to violent groups. We published report after report and partnered with public figures, former ministers, and famous campaigners to call for people to count their vote against their hateful agenda.And when President Macron called a surprise election, and almost everyone thought the far right would win, we helped bring together dozens of civil society groups, calling on progressive forces to unite against the far-right frontrunners! We co-organised massive women’s marches and helped pressure democratic candidates to join forces to stop the far right winning in the final round of the election.And it worked! Le Pen came third in the election!
_________________________________If both the European and the French elections showed us one thing, it’s that something beautiful is rising in response to the far-right threat – a movement of people who stand for unity, belonging and togetherness, and believe that the future is ours to create.I’m so proud that together we were part of it, and I’m excited about where we’re going next.
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