Statement on the Current State of White Supremacy and Race Riots in the U.K.

At Spark & Co., we stand in unwavering solidarity with racialised people and communities, particularly Muslim and migrant communities that white supremacist groups have targeted.

We are a small team of racialised and marginalised individuals, and the recent surge in white supremacist violence across the U.K. has deeply affected us. We founded Spark & Co. during the resurgence of the BLM movement in 2020 with the mission to build a sustainable anti-racist movement, and it is disheartening to witness overt racism once again permeating our streets, media, and political landscape.

We have felt a deep concern for our Spark & Co. community, including our friends and family. The recent escalation in violence led to heightened anxiety within our team. Last week, we consulted our partners, funders, and the Non-Executive Board to consider additional security measures. The violence we are seeing is not new—it echoes the stories passed down from our elders. Stories of Teddy Boys confronting racialised youth in Notting Hill, of the National Front chasing our parents in the 1980s, and of our grandparents arriving on this island only to have their windows shattered and homes defaced by white neighbours.

These stories have shaped our reality since we were young. We recognise the manifestations of hate because our parents, grandparents, and ancestors shared these experiences with us, hoping to keep us safe. They wanted us to understand that our place in this society is neither guaranteed nor protected by those in power who benefit from white supremacy.

We want to be clear: the racism we see on our streets is in the same vein as the racism we have witnessed in senior leadership teams within the social impact sector. Diversity, equity, and inclusion policies are not enough. Organisations must go beyond tick-box strategies and work toward a future where equity is a reality.

This requires:

• Genuinely valuing the direct lived experiences of those who face oppression and racism
• Creating policies that recognise knowledge equity, including equitable payment and influence over decision-making
• Collaborating with organisations led by and for communities experiencing marginalisation
• Integrating co-design principles that respect expertise and acknowledge systems of oppression.
• Funding anti-racist organisations and understanding that they may operate differently from other social impact organisations. 
• Building the capacity, skill and knowledge of leaders and teams to genuinely and meaningfully engage in anti-racism and anti-oppression work 
• Embedding accountability and safety through internal processes so that challenges can be addressed and responded to effectively. 

Funders must support anti-racist and anti-oppression organisations providing preventive care, not just react when racial injustice becomes a trending topic again. Social impact organisations must continue investing in genuine learning and dialogue spaces.

It’s also important for social impact organisations to work with anti-racist organisations who do not exist merely for profit but carry out their work with integrity. This means anti-racist organisations who lead with transparency, who do not shy away from speaking truth to power, who collaborate with clients to build bespoke solutions which address the needs and concerns of stakeholders and wider communities. 

Since, 2020 funders have been quick to develop funding streams tackling racial inequality, however, funding has quickly dried up and alongside the rise in cost of living, we as an organisation, alongside our partners  have really struggled with this fact. Many organisations led by and for communities experiencing marginalisation are struggling with the current economic climate we find ourselves in. 

When working with organisations such as ours, it’s important to recognise that this work takes time, that it isn’t quick fix, as we should all recognise by now, our collective anti-racism journey is not a race, it’s a marathon. 

We know that the racist violence we face as racialised people and communities is not new; it is history repeating itself. Mainstream media outlets like GB News, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, The Sun, The BBC, and Sky, among others fuel this violence. These outlets, along with politicians from various parties, have used divisive and racist rhetoric, encouraging white supremacist gangs to march through our streets enacting violence in our communities.

For decades, many racialised voices, including the Muslim community, have warned of the dangers of increasingly rampant and rising anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies like Prevent will lead to the violence we’ve seen spill onto our streets; these warnings have gone unheeded by politicians and broadcasters alike.  

We want to emphasise that the white supremacist gangs setting police cars ablaze are not the ultimate enemy.  Many of these individuals are caught in cycles of extreme poverty and are exploited as political pawns by those in power. This manipulation perpetuates long-standing systems of oppression, as our divisions serve the interests of the wealthy and powerful. By scapegoating communities experiencing marginalisation and fuelling hatred, these systems maintain their control, allowing those at the top to continue harmful agendas unchecked.

We believe that criminalising and imprisoning people does not keep us safe. The social impact sector's support for policing is out of touch with many racialised people, who understand that much of our oppression stems from a criminal justice system shaped by socio-economic inequality. We are not calling for more police support, as this would legitimise their power and counter the beliefs of many racial justice campaigners; we are calling for preventative measures to be put in place. We are calling on institutions like Ofcom to do their job and hold media publications accountable, we are calling on the Electoral Commission to hold political parties responsible, and we are calling on our sector to hold one another accountable. 

To our community: we love you, and we stand with you. Know that your fear is justified, your grief is valid, and your vulnerability is understood. We are often expected to function as though we are not directly impacted by the news, as though vicarious trauma, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), or broader effects of systemic oppression do not affect us. 

We recognise that this is not the case. At Spark & Co., we are giving space for our full range of emotions to be felt and expressed. We encourage you to do the same. Be honest, allow yourself to feel, and remember—you are not alone in your grief; we grieve with you. You are not alone in your rage; we rage with you. For us, anti-racism is not a trending topic; it is a long-standing commitment we will uphold for as long as we are on this earth.

We want our community to remember that we stand on the shoulders of giants. We have risen before, and we will rise again. Our defiance against white supremacy is a cause for hope. We possess far more power than we often realise and will resist, persevere, and ultimately triumph against racism in all its forms. 

We would also like to acknowledge and thank our existing funders and clients who have checked in on us, offered support, whether holistic or economic and adjusted our ways of working while we’re navigating the harsh realities of systemic racism. We see you, and whilst we’re incredibly appreciative, we want this support to be consistent, and we want to see this across the board. 

As always, we have a guide available alongside our resource hub of over 500+ culturally informed support services, including organisations catering to mental health needs and organisations that can offer legal support. We have a dedicated hub specifically for migrants communities and you can locate services built and catering for muslim and racialised people and communities. Find out more about this here.