Campaigners say that the attack on ‘woke’ charities has backfired

At West Green House, Hampshire

A survey of 118 campaigners at charities has found that a majority of campaigners believe that attacks on charities by politicians for being ‘woke’ has ‘backfired’, and that this has increased support among the public and helped to drive a surge in social justice activism. A majority of respondents also said attacks by politicians and the media were ‘a threat to charities’ 'right to speak out and campaign’.

The Guardian reports: ‘ Many have responded by asking themselves if they are still honouring their core mission by speaking out and concluded that, in fact, campaigning is not just their right but their duty,” said Sue Tibballs, the chief executive of the Sheila McKechnie Foundation.

A number of charities, including the National Trust and Barnardo’s, have faced coordinated attacks by backbench Conservative MPs for supposedly “political” or “woke” stances on such as racism and inequality at odds with their core charitable mission, The MPs argued the charities’ role was to provide services, not engage in social issues.

The National Trust was called “Marxist” and politically correct for publishing a report highlighting the slave trade links of some of its historical properties, the race equality thinktank Runneymede trust was accused of having a “political agenda,” and the children’s charity Barnardo’s of promoting “ideological dogma”.

All three were investigated by the Charity Commission after the backbench “Common Sense” group of Conservative MPs complained they had breached charity laws. In each case they were cleared of wrongdoing. The National Trust subsequently reported record numbers of new members, despite critics’ claims it was losing public support.’