Safety pins: A show of solidarity after Trump election
AFP
People have long used ribbons, flowers, colors or badges to symbolize political causes, from the carnations of Portugals 1974 revolution to the orange ribbons of Ukraines 2004 revolution to the gel wristbands now worn to promote almost any charity, reports AFP from Washington. Enter the lowly safety pin. That humble but practical device is fast gaining a higher profile, as growing numbers of Americans wear the metal fasteners to show solidarity against intolerance after the election of Donald Trump. The safety pininvented in 1849 by an American mechanic who needed money to pay off a $15 debtuses a cleverly designed clasp to protect users from its fiendishly sharp tip. And that is the point. In the days since Trumps election, people have begun placing a single pin on their shirts to convey a message of supportof safety, and protectionto minorities, women, immigrants and others who may feel threatened by the strident rhetoric that carried the Republican billionaire to the White House.
The safety pin social media movement gained prominence in Britain on Twitter as a sign of solidarity with immigrant and minority populations facing a reported surge in hate crimes after the Brexit vote in June, with its strong anti-immigrant undertones. Since the US election, the phenomenon has started catching on across the Atlantic, with celebrities including actress Debra Messing as well as ordinary people posting images of their safety pins on social media. Trump, during a bitter two-year campaign that tugged at Americas democratic fabric, pledged to deport illegal immigrants and ban Muslims, and called Mexicans rapists and drug runners, claims which have created fears of xenophobiaand potentially of mass deportationsnow that he has been elected to office. Since Trumps upset win there has been a reported uptick in reports of racist and xenophobic incidents, fueling fears for the period ahead.
Activists were handing out the symbolic pins in Manhattan Saturday as thousands of protesters converged on Trump Tower where the president-elect has been huddled with advisors plotting his next move. In Chicago, too, many among the thousands who marched against Trump this weekend wore a pin on their chest. I just want people to know, that are in the minorities, that we arent going to let his hate divide us, summed up 23-year-old Heather Pereira, marching with her four-year-old daughter in a stroller. I dont believe what Trump stands for. He built a platform on hating others. And I wont accept that.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups, tracked more than 200 incidents of election-related harassment and intimidation in the three days following the election.
One message on social media suggested wearing a safety pin to show that immigrants, refugees and anyone else threatened by the hate and fear mongering of Trump and many of his supporters can know that I care and will do all that I can to combat xenophobia, racism, sexism and discrimination against the disabled. Another post simply shows a picture of a safety pin with the words: You are safe with me. I stand beside you. More than 47,000 people have signed an SPLC petition urging Trump to clearly distance himself from the hatersfrom white nationalists to anti-Muslim and anti-gay extremistswho are celebrating his victory. He has yet to do so.
