Summary
GENERAL ELECTION 2024: A CALL FOR HUMANITY: Equally Ours' is calling for all political parties, candidates and people working for them to reject harmful, divisive rhetoric in political campaigning, and for political parties to put in place measures to make the election more inclusive.
Respect for our shared humanity and our equal rights and dignity are cornerstones of our democracy. General election campaigns are crucial testing grounds for all political parties’ and their candidates’ commitment to them.
As a pan-equality network, with members and supporters from across the whole of society, we call for general election campaigning to focus on finding solutions to the major challenges facing society, and on the real issues people face in their day to day lives.
The right to freedom of expression does not justify incitement to racial or religious violence or hatred, or other unlawful conduct. But in recent times political debate has been increasingly marred by harmful, divisive rhetoric that scapegoats specific groups and pits people against each other. This is not what most voters want: in a recent poll, 83% of respondents said that human rights should apply to everyone in the UK, and 60% said it is not ok for election campaigns to pit groups and people against each other.
Evidence shows the harm that such rhetoric can lead to: it divides society, emboldens extremists and increases levels of hate crime. Whether focused on migration, social security or people’s age, faith or identity, it is wrong. As charities that come from and work with targeted communities, we call on all parties and candidates to reject it.
Women, Black and racialised minority, disabled and LGBT+ people and other marginalised groups remain under-represented in the corridors of power – in part due to this divisive debate. Experience shows that Black, racialised minority and disabled women are often the most subjected to misogynist, ableist and racist rhetoric.
We therefore call on all political parties, candidates and people working for them to commit to:
- Deal responsibly and fairly with politically sensitive topics relating to people and communities, whether defined by common protected personal characteristics or the disadvantages they face.
- Take a zero-tolerance approach to incitement to violence or hatred, dog-whistle politics, misogyny, racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and any other forms of discrimination in campaigning and conduct.
- Avoid language, policies and ideas that risk dehumanising and stigmatising people, and take swift action to deal with any candidate or party representative that uses such language and rhetoric.
We further call on all political parties to put in place measures to increase the representation of women, Black and racialised minority and disabled people, and other marginalised groups in elected positions by:
- Ensuring candidates from under-represented groups are selected in winnable seats.
- Providing funds for reasonable adjustments to disabled candidates that need them.
- Making campaign activities accessible, including translating manifestos into sign language, and providing sign language interpreters at televised election debates.
Signed:
Equally Ours Members:
Age UK
Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE)/Just for Kids Law
Disability Rights UK
Discrimination Law Association
End Violence Against Women Coalition
Equality Trust
Fair Play South West
Fawcett Society
Friends, Families and Travellers
Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES)
Humanists UK
Law Centres Network
Maternity Action
Mind
Race on the Agenda (ROTA)
Royal National Institute for Deaf People
Royal National Institute of Blind People
Runnymede Trust
SignHealth
Stonewall
Trades Union Congress (TUC)
Traveller Movement
Women’s Budget Group
Women’s Resource Centre
Associate members
Amnesty International UK
Equal Rights Trust
EqualiTeach
Inclusion North
Just Fair
Migrant Centre NI
SecurityWomen
René Cassin
National Survivor User Network (NSUN)
Other signatories
Community Policy Forum
Juno Women’s Aid
Disability Wales
Disability Action
POhWER
NAVCA – National Association for Voluntary and Community Action
Human Rights Consortium Scotland
Friends of the Earth
