Amid the sound and fury of the migration debate, we hear much about the silent majority. Wait until the quietly angry voices are raised, we are told. They are the voices of the oppressed, the voices of the disgruntled. And no point in denying it; those kind of seething silent types exist. Doubtless many of them will noiselessly register their complaints on 7 May.
But they are not the whole story. Something interesting has been happening in the days since the Movement Against Xenophobia, an umbrella group run through the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, and comprising 113 organisations, began seeking support for a campaign to focus on the other side of the story. It plans to run a poster campaign with photos – taken by a Vogue photographer – depicting ordinary migrants, and a few not so ordinary, who contribute to British life. This seems like a useful corrective to the normally poisonous narrative, but how to pay for it? Let’s try crowdfunding, said a bright spark. A lot of crowdfunding. The costed campaign came to £66,000, £44,000 for the posters and their placement alone. But within a week, they had raised £36,000. Not there yet, but with eight days to go, the target is in sight.
Let’s look at that £36,000. This is 946 ordinary people, taking their chance to push back against the narrative. The hitherto silent given voice. Two have given £5,000, but the bulk – 523 – donated just £10, and 269 just a fiver.
And they aren’t just providing funding. They are expressing relief that finally there is a chance to fight the tide. “We definitely need the positive stories,” said one. “Finally, some resistance to Farage’s, May’s, Cameron’s and also Labour’s anti immigrant propaganda,” said another.
Saira Grant of JCWI says a website is planned, which will allow people to upload pictures and highlight their contribution. Other European organisations hope to copy the model.
Let’s not get carried away. A political party could raise £36,000, probably the whole £66,000, with just one phone call to a hedge fund donor. Or one auction lot at a fancy shindig like last week’s Tory Black and White Ball. But perhaps there is a lesson here. The silent masses think a variety of things. And asked to raise a voice, they will.
- This article was modified on 16 February 2015. An earlier version misnamed the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants. This has been corrected.
