New global crises seemingly emerge every week. From Ukraine to Gaza, Lebanon to Sudan – the headlines are dominated with the desperate need for emergency aid and the millions of people in urgent need of safety. All in a shifting political landscape, where polarisation is becoming the norm.
The rise of the far-right across Europe is a disturbing trend. Partly in response to the visibility of refugees, the mainstreaming of far-right ideology has created a divisive rhetoric where the humanity of people in need has become a controversial subject. Marches against entire religions and boarder control are becoming commonplace. In May 2026, the planned ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march in London was set to spread further racism and division.
Over more than a decade, Choose Love have done more than fundraise, they have formed a movement. Born from frustration and a one-off attempt to improve the atrocious conditions in Calais’ ‘Jungle’ refugee camp, one of the first social media charities quickly gained momentum. Aided by the entertainment industry – from t-shirts worn by Oprah Winfrey and Julia Roberts, to fundraising gigs at the Royal Albert Hall – a community has come together.
With Tommy Chooses Love, the charity is taking a direct approach. To counteract the far-right’s march through London, the campaign converts every step into a sponsored walk; supporting the very people the protest attempts to derogate – raising money for refugees, displaced people and anti-racism movements in the UK. As they say, ‘Tommy Robinson is raising money for refugees. He just doesn’t know it yet’.
During this growth of political division, London has remained a multicultural oasis. More than 40% of London’s population were born outside the UK, accounting for its cultural and economic vibrancy. But with the first London council seat won to a far-right party in 2026, city is not immune to the debate. London is a demonstration of the positives of multiculturalism – but also as a place for resistance, fighting anti-migrant messaging.
In this interview, we speak to Choose Love about the growth from grassroots action, cultural influence and finding hope.
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05.26 Choose Love turns far-right hate into love
CHOOSE LOVE HAS BECOME A REAL MOVEMENT – CAN YOU TELL US HOW IT ALL STARTED?
We’re a movement of people trying to create a world that treats everyone with love, and where displaced communities have what they need to thrive. It started as a conversation with a group of friends in 2015, when headlines of mass displacement from Syria and mistreatment of refugees was hitting the public consciousness alongside the tragedy of the three-year-old Syrian boy, Alan Kurdi’s body being found washed up on a beach after he drowned trying to reach safety.
That moment was a wake-up call, and they set up a fundraiser to help buy supplies for people arriving in Calais. Very quickly, they found that it really struck a chord – people were looking for a way to help. Now, almost 11 years later, we’ve supported over 9 million people with basic essentials, emergency support, and rebuilding their lives after being forcibly displaced.
FROM A ONE-OFF ACTION TO A GLOBAL NETWORK – DID YOU EVER EXPECT IT TO REACH THIS SCALE, AND WHAT’S SURPRISED YOU MOST?
I don’t think anyone did! I’m always surprised and delighted by how Choose Love time and time again proves that, as humans, we always have more in common than that which divides us. We might all have different life experiences, and different challenges and joys, but ultimately, we all need similar things. Every single person should be able to live in safety, freedom and dignity – and that’s the world Choose Love is trying to create.
FROM A QUICK RESPONSE TO A CRISIS, IT HAS REALLY GROWN INTO SOMETHING MORE. WHY DID IT RESONATE SO WIDELY?
For me, I think it’s about people wanting to feel connected to one another, and to be able to do something. With so many crises happening around the world, and huge overwhelming statistics, it can be hard to remember that our actions make a difference. But change always starts small and gets bigger, and we are actually making real and significant change all the time.
IT’S BEEN DESCRIBED AS A MOVEMENT, NOT JUST A CHARITY – WHAT DOES ‘CHOOSING LOVE’ MEAN IN PRACTICE?
Choosing Love is about leading your actions and your decision making through a lens of love; treating people with kindness and compassion, and working together towards solutions that benefit everyone.
FROM THE SUPPORT OF MUSICIANS, GRASSROOTS GIGS AND EVEN THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL – WHAT ROLE DOES MUSIC AND CULTURE PLAY IN DRIVING REAL IMPACT?
Artists, musicians, actors and cultural figures show us what it means to be human through their work, so culture will always be a core part of any humanitarian movement. We are so grateful to work with incredible people who will use their voice to stand up for fundamental human rights for everyone.
We’re a movement of people trying to create a world that treats everyone with love, and where displaced communities have what they need to thrive. It started as a conversation with a group of friends in 2015, when headlines of mass displacement from Syria and mistreatment of refugees was hitting the public consciousness alongside the tragedy of the three-year-old Syrian boy, Alan Kurdi’s body being found washed up on a beach after he drowned trying to reach safety.
That moment was a wake-up call, and they set up a fundraiser to help buy supplies for people arriving in Calais. Very quickly, they found that it really struck a chord – people were looking for a way to help. Now, almost 11 years later, we’ve supported over 9 million people with basic essentials, emergency support, and rebuilding their lives after being forcibly displaced.
FROM A ONE-OFF ACTION TO A GLOBAL NETWORK – DID YOU EVER EXPECT IT TO REACH THIS SCALE, AND WHAT’S SURPRISED YOU MOST?
I don’t think anyone did! I’m always surprised and delighted by how Choose Love time and time again proves that, as humans, we always have more in common than that which divides us. We might all have different life experiences, and different challenges and joys, but ultimately, we all need similar things. Every single person should be able to live in safety, freedom and dignity – and that’s the world Choose Love is trying to create.
FROM A QUICK RESPONSE TO A CRISIS, IT HAS REALLY GROWN INTO SOMETHING MORE. WHY DID IT RESONATE SO WIDELY?
For me, I think it’s about people wanting to feel connected to one another, and to be able to do something. With so many crises happening around the world, and huge overwhelming statistics, it can be hard to remember that our actions make a difference. But change always starts small and gets bigger, and we are actually making real and significant change all the time.
IT’S BEEN DESCRIBED AS A MOVEMENT, NOT JUST A CHARITY – WHAT DOES ‘CHOOSING LOVE’ MEAN IN PRACTICE?
Choosing Love is about leading your actions and your decision making through a lens of love; treating people with kindness and compassion, and working together towards solutions that benefit everyone.
FROM THE SUPPORT OF MUSICIANS, GRASSROOTS GIGS AND EVEN THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL – WHAT ROLE DOES MUSIC AND CULTURE PLAY IN DRIVING REAL IMPACT?
Artists, musicians, actors and cultural figures show us what it means to be human through their work, so culture will always be a core part of any humanitarian movement. We are so grateful to work with incredible people who will use their voice to stand up for fundamental human rights for everyone.
COMMUNITY IS AT THE HEART OF WHAT YOU DO – HOW HAS THAT COMMUNITY EVOLVED OVER THE PAST DECADE?
We’re so incredibly lucky to have the community that we have – of all our amazing partners, of all the amazing people who work with us and support us and volunteer with us. It really does show how much we can do when we come together. For us, community is about working together, respecting and appreciating everyone who is part of it, valuing their different perspectives and learning from each other.
YOU’VE BEEN DESCRIBED AS ONE OF THE FIRST SOCIAL MEDIA CHARITIES, HOW HAS THIS IMPACTED CHOOSE LOVE’S AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS?
Social media was built into the start of our journey when we started as a simple hashtag for a fundraiser. From that moment we saw the power it had to bring people together, and we are so in awe of this amazing movement that we’ve cultivated and their ability and power to make change. Already we’ve raised over £187k for refugees and anti-racist work here in the UK, in just a couple of weeks – that’s incredible and is going to make a huge difference to people’s lives.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING DISPLACED COMMUNITIES – AND ORGANISATIONS LIKE YOURS – RIGHT NOW?
As more people are losing their homes, their communities and seeking refuge in new places, here in the UK an anti-refugee rhetoric is taking hold. Refugees make up less than 1% of the population in the UK. They are not the reason that people can’t get a job, or proper housing or an appointment at the GP. All of these problems are very real in the UK right now and urgently need addressing, but they are problems created by years of austerity, cuts, economic impacts from the COVID pandemic and more. These problems lie with the UK Government to solve, and we need to be really careful not to fall into scapegoating vulnerable groups for problems they had absolutely nothing to do with.
TELL US ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN – WHAT’S THE URGENCY, AND WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO DO AFTER HEARING ABOUT IT?
We’re horrified that the march is going ahead on Saturday. It does not represent what the majority of people in the UK feel, which is why we had to do something and make love louder than hate. So, we’re turning Tommy’s march on Saturday into a sponsored walk, raising money for refugees and anti-racism here in the UK. We want people to get involved and pledge as little as 1p per metre marched, so that every step marched translates into real, tangible support for people who need it.
As division is taking hold, we want to send a clear message that refugees are welcome.
We’re so incredibly lucky to have the community that we have – of all our amazing partners, of all the amazing people who work with us and support us and volunteer with us. It really does show how much we can do when we come together. For us, community is about working together, respecting and appreciating everyone who is part of it, valuing their different perspectives and learning from each other.
YOU’VE BEEN DESCRIBED AS ONE OF THE FIRST SOCIAL MEDIA CHARITIES, HOW HAS THIS IMPACTED CHOOSE LOVE’S AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS?
Social media was built into the start of our journey when we started as a simple hashtag for a fundraiser. From that moment we saw the power it had to bring people together, and we are so in awe of this amazing movement that we’ve cultivated and their ability and power to make change. Already we’ve raised over £187k for refugees and anti-racist work here in the UK, in just a couple of weeks – that’s incredible and is going to make a huge difference to people’s lives.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING DISPLACED COMMUNITIES – AND ORGANISATIONS LIKE YOURS – RIGHT NOW?
As more people are losing their homes, their communities and seeking refuge in new places, here in the UK an anti-refugee rhetoric is taking hold. Refugees make up less than 1% of the population in the UK. They are not the reason that people can’t get a job, or proper housing or an appointment at the GP. All of these problems are very real in the UK right now and urgently need addressing, but they are problems created by years of austerity, cuts, economic impacts from the COVID pandemic and more. These problems lie with the UK Government to solve, and we need to be really careful not to fall into scapegoating vulnerable groups for problems they had absolutely nothing to do with.
TELL US ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN – WHAT’S THE URGENCY, AND WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO DO AFTER HEARING ABOUT IT?
We’re horrified that the march is going ahead on Saturday. It does not represent what the majority of people in the UK feel, which is why we had to do something and make love louder than hate. So, we’re turning Tommy’s march on Saturday into a sponsored walk, raising money for refugees and anti-racism here in the UK. We want people to get involved and pledge as little as 1p per metre marched, so that every step marched translates into real, tangible support for people who need it.
As division is taking hold, we want to send a clear message that refugees are welcome.
