Contact: contact@communitysolidaritystrouddistrict.org
An open letter initiated by Community Solidarity Stroud District calling on organisers to withdraw their invitation to Katie Hopkins to present a “comedy show” in Stroud town has been signed by over 225 people at time of writing (4:35pm 6th September).
The group is also hosting an event featuring representatives from different groups that are taking action to make Stroud inclusive and challenging racism and discrimination. The landlord of the original venue – The Old Convent has told the group he was not aware the original booking was for Katie Hopkins and that now he is aware the event will not take place there. However, it appears the event will go ahead, with Katie Hopkins’ website saying the venue is “To Be Announced” on Thursday 7th September, the day the event is due to take place. Community Solidarity Stroud District say “Despite rumours to the contrary the Katie Hopkins event is most definitely not cancelled. We will meet to hold our protest rally, with speakers and PA as planned at the foot of the hill car park – opposite Merrywalks bus station. If we find out more about where the show is going to be held, we may revise this. If we don’t find out where the event will be, we will old our own event discussing the issues raised”
Community Solidarity Stroud District are inviting people to meet in The Old Convent Car Park when they can between 6 and 10pm on Thursday 7th September. Their open letter about the event can be read and signed online.
Hopkins is known for rants made up of extreme anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim statements that have cost her jobs with mainstream right-wing media outlets. Hopkins left MailOnline ‘by mutual consent’ in 2017 after giving a speech attacking Muslims to far right groups. She was reported to have told her audience they should ‘arm themselves’ and ‘fight for their country’, against “institutionalised discrimination against whites”. Other examples involved her comparing to migrants to cockroaches and calling for a “final solution” for Muslims. After being dropped by MailOnline and The Sun, Hopkins spent 10 months at the Canadian far-right media outlet Rebel Media, and also attended the conferences of the Islamophobic For Britain party alongside Ingrid Carlqvist – who has engaged in Holocaust denial – and the ‘Traditional Britain Group’ (TBG). The TBG is a meeting point across wider far right movements, run by former Tory fringe figure Gregory Lauder-Frost, who has called for the “assisted voluntary repatriation” of those “not of European stock” from the UK to their “natural” homeland. In January 2019, she publicised a conference in Finland which featured an international roster of antisemites, white nationalists and fascists.
James Beecher, a member of Community Solidarity Stroud District, said: “Katie Hopkins was banned from South Africa “for spreading racial hatred”. She meets with far-right organisations, dehumanises people, and calls for violence. Racism isn’t funny. We don’t think someone with her record should have been invited to Stroud – and are pleased to see the community coming together to make this clear. Supporters of Katie Hopkins and apparently even Hopkins herself are trying to present her event as an open one, with people who disagree welcome to attend. But there was no suggestion of debate, indeed no publicity at all, until we showed the level of community opposition. We’re using our free speech to challenge the hateful things Katie Hopkins says. Her freedom to say them isn’t what’s at stake. What we’re raising as a question is whether she should be saying these things, given their impact on people. We’re also asking why the organisers would want to invite her, and why the venue would want to host her, given her record. We want to be absolutely clear that Katie Hopkins record speaks for itself and that she is no more welcome in Stroud than she was in South Africa.”
Jagdish Patel, organiser of Stroud Love Music Hate Racism events, said: “How utterly disrespectful that The Light supporters have invited someone known for spreading racism to tell so-called jokes in Stroud”
Emma Calcutt, from Stroud Against Racism said: “Stroud Against Racism is a grassroots organisation with the mission of working towards a system of equality and equity. Our aim is to challenge institutional and systemic racism through action and policy change. We are working to help build an inclusive and welcoming community for all people and cultures. Katie Hopkins is not welcome in our community and we encourage members to peacefully picket this event and make our message clear that this kind of event has no place in our town.”
Caroline Hillhouse from Stroud District together With Refugees said: “Stroud District Together with Refugees is set up to show welcome and solidarity with refugees. To denounce the government’s inhumane policy and practice on asylum. To uphold international law, which states that vulnerable people seeking safety have the right to claim asylum in any safe country. We are appalled that Katie Hopkins has been invited to Stroud. She is well known for making statements that are vitriolic and extremely offensive to migrants and other minorities. Her language stokes up fear, division and hatred in our Stroud community.”
Roma Robinson from the Radical Youth Space for Educations said: “We at the RYSE stand with the Community Solidarity Stroud District Group in calling for this demonstration against her “comedy show” coming to Stroud. She weaponises the divisions that already exist to bring us further apart, when right now, in the face of increasing disrepair globally and in our communities, it is our duty to our community to refuse to be divided by white supremacists. So let’s pull on our heritage of the rooftop occupations and the water riots, our radical heritage that tells us to stand up in the face of injustice and declare that fascism is not welcome in our town, not now, not ever.”
Stroud District Cllr Robin Layfield, from Community Independents, said: “”Katie Hopkins has profited from division and controversy throughout her entire career. Hopkins’ offensive, discriminatory and harmful views have led to her removal from many print and social media platforms. Her visas have been revoked by Australia, the United States and South Africa on the basis of the threat she presents to incite hate or harm social cohesion. She trades in hatred and there should be no warm welcome in Stroud for a person with views as toxic or as unpleasant as hers.”
Lynn Haanen and Adrian Oldman, Co-cordinators of Stroud District Green Party said: “The Stroud District Green Party strongly believes in freedom of speech and the right to peaceful assembly. However, the right to freedom of speech does not extend to the sort of hate-filled, racist, inflammatory, socially divisive rhetoric that Katie Hopkins is notorious for; disinformation and hate speech should never be given a platform and must be called out loudly and clearly. We strongly object to this woman being invited to speak in Stroud by the group promoting ‘The Light’ newspaper. Her presence here can only serve to inflame and legitimise racism and we stand in solidarity with CSSD to protest against the presence of Katie Hopkins in Stroud.”
Steve Lydon, Chair of Stroud Constituency Labour Party said: “We as the Labour Party are proud to stand with other members of the community to show our abhorrence of the views of Katie Hopkins. She is not welcome here”
Notes for Editors:
- Community Solidarity Stroud District exists to build community led solidarity in the Stroud district to oppose the hatred of minorities and oppressed people arising from false and harmful information. It was formed in January 2022 to challenge distribution of “The Light” newspaper in the area, following a defence in the paper of a man convicted of “inciting racial hatred”. The group has challenged The Light’s support for antisemitism, Holocaust denial and racist hate speech – as well as for denial of climate change, promotion of homophobia and transphobia, and patriarchal values. It has also opposed previous talks organised by “Stroud Info Hub” or “The Beacon” featuring antisemitic speakers. You can read more about why at: communitysolidaritystrouddistrict.org
- The Independent – 27th November 2017: “Katie Hopkins gave speech attacking Muslims to far-right group days before leaving Mail Online ‘by mutual consent’”
- The Independent – 17th April 2015 “‘Hateful’ Katie Hopkins column on migrants causes Twitter backlash”
- Evening Standard – 7th February 2018 “Katie Hopkins says she has been detained at South Africa passport control for ‘spreading racial hatred’”
- Hope Not Hate – 26th June 2017 “Katie Hopkins removed from LBC after ‘final solution’ tweet”
- Hope Not Hate – 20th September 2018 “For Britain Conference: Hate, a Holocaust Denier and Katie Hopkins”
- Hope Not Hate – 4th January 2018 “Katie Hopkins joins far-right Rebel Media”
Community Solidarity Stroud District 