In 2017, after seeing a rising number of people reaching out and looking for help to leave Far-Right Extremist organisations, EXIT HATE was established by Nigel Bromage and a small group of Formers. Since 2017, EXIT has continued to support many people who have left the Far-Right and in this article, we will be exploring just exactly what it is that EXIT does.
The Services provided by EXIT HATE are vital because this is an area of work that little or no other organisations are involved with. At EXIT, we believe in the power of positive change and recognise that people make mistakes in their life. So often, those who join Far-Right Extremist organisations come to bitterly regret that decision and reach a point whereby they want help to leave. When an individual comes to that decision, EXIT is here to help! As part of our continuing packages of support, EXIT HATE provides 1-to-1 mentoring programmes to help Individuals successfully leave the Far-Right, but also to help them deal with the aftermath of that decision. When a person decides to leave an Extremist organisation, it can be perhaps one of the most challenging periods of their life—but as Former Far-Right Extremists ourselves, we know exactly how to bridge the gap and find the best way out.
Some of the People who work for EXIT are former Far-Right Extremists, but we also have Parents of “Formers”, trained professionals and members of the community who help with the work we do.
EXIT HATE is not the Police—we offer non-judgemental and confidential advice to ensure that people impacted by extremism can get their life back on track. Understanding that many people do not like racism. Some Antifascist organisations often seek a more traditional route to challenge far-right extremism, demanding No Platforms For The Far-Right and even berate or belittle individuals who have left the Far-Right and as a result individuals (and lets not forget their families) often then face constant chastisement and confrontation—even despite the fact they have left the Far-Right! But lets think about this. Does that make the individual feel like they have made the right decision to leave the far-right or could it send them back and what about their families? Is it fair for them to suffer for the actions of one person in the family, we don'y think so.
Instead, we believe the right way forward, is to offer everyone a second chance—even the people who have made some of the most awful decisions in their lives. Because we all make mistakes.
Individuals who seek support from EXIT must be at the point whereby they are thinking of or are ready to leave their Far-Right organisation or involvement, they must express doubts and have concerns regarding their continued involvement and want to walk away from hate and then we will help them.
As Formers, we recognise that not everyone is willing to leave—or will have come to the place where the doubts start creeping in, so we continually look at what the far-right stands for, to show people that life in the far-right isn’t good for people and those involved deserve a better life, away from extremism. Always here, when people are ready, we will be there to support them and guide them through the best way to leave and be there every step of the way.
Working for years in this area we know the most meaningful and successful way of engaging with Individuals involved with Far-Right Extremism is the way of Peaceful Education and Reconciliation. Most people within our communities are simply unaware—about just how dangerous and militant the Far-Right is and this is why we seek to educate as many people as possible about the danger.
Working together with our sister organization, Small Steps, we deliver bespoke training sessions to professionals and community groups with specially designed training sessions to increase awareness around Far-Right Extremism and sections which upskill individuals to give them the ability to peacefully confront the Far-Right through Education.
All of us who were involved with Far-Right Extremism now deeply regret the time we spent in the Movement, and part of addressing the damage that our actions created is through the work we do at EXIT HATE. Now fully rehabilitated, we recognise that many other people are lost and have fallen by the wayside and are being exploited by extremists and now we seek to step in and offer alternatives that could radically change people’s lives, for the betterment of society overall.
EXIT relies upon funding to carry out the work we are committed to, and unfortunately during the COVID-19 Pandemic, we saw a 320% increase in people reaching out to receive our services, but we receive no funding and rely on donations to pay for key staff to offer critical support to people who really need it, yet most people walk away from - Racists and Nazi’s, but we don’t, because we know if people involved have no-one to turn to, then they will stay trapped in extremism and the country will suffer and there will be more victims of racist and far-right attacks.
To reduce this, we need your support to continue the work we do, every single penny donated to Exit counts, and everything donated goes directly to helping people either leave the far-right or families with a loved one involved.
Often forgotten, families need support to, as often when a loved one becomes involved in extremism, families feel they have no one to turn to and feel lost. To support families, Exit Hate has a dedicated family support programme, called Exit Family Support which offers specialist support to families when they need it.
Part of the answer, we know how important families are and are dedicated to supporting families to understand what is happening, but also upskilling them to have difficult conversations, when no one else is around.
Understanding this world, better than most, we know If this vital work was lost, then almost certainly a very dangerous chasm would open up within our communities and the Far-Right would fully seek to exploit this.
Whilst EXIT HATE is here, you can rest assured that we are doing our very best to protect our communities and rehabilitate those who have been involved in extremism. Going to the core of the issue, people involved, while this work is not as glaourous as some, it is critical to create a safer society.
If you like what we do, then why not support our work, interested parties can become volunteers, donate to pay for key staff or assist us in lots of different ways.
To find out how you can help, please get in touch at – 0800 999 1945 or email us at: info@exithate.org
For individual support, please visit: www.exituk.org
For family support, please visit: http://www.exitfamilysupport.org
To donate, please visit: https://donorbox.org/exit-support
Sarah
Exit Support Officer
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