An open letter from left-wing campaigners blasting women's safety concerns and illegal migration links as "far-right racist lies" has been torn apart by a women's safety campaigner.
Speaking to GB News, the Deputy Director for the Women's Safety Initiative, Anna McGovern, hit out at the "disgraceful" letter and declared women and girls across Britain are "terrified for their safety".
The letter, coordinated by Stand Up to Racism and signed by left-wing figures including Zarah Sultana, Charlotte Church and Diane Abbott, claimed there is "no evidence that people seeking refuge are more likely to commit acts of sexual violence".
It stated: "We reject the far-right’s racist lies about 'protecting' women and girls. They are not defenders of women – they exploit violence against women to fuel hate and division."
Anna McGovern hit out at those who signed a letter against the 'far right' links to sexual abuse and immigration
|GB NEWS
Expressing her outrage at the letter, titled Women Against the Far-Right, Ms McGovern told GB News: "I think it's absolutely disgraceful what they are doing. How dare they?!
"This is a real thing that is happening to people across the country, and women and girls are terrified for their safety.
"That is why we formed the Women's Safety Initiative, to raise awareness of these issues and to give women a platform to share their own experiences as well."
Citing official data on the link between sexual crimes against women and girls and foreign nationals in Britain, Ms McGovern explained: "This is backed by data, as we know Afghans are more than 20 times more likely to be convicted of sexual offences than British citizens, and foreign nationals were 71 per cent more likely than Britons to be convicted for sex crimes.
"So simply saying that it's far-right to raise awareness of these issues is rubbish and it's completely offensive to these survivors as well."
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A number of prominent left-wing figures have written an open letter titled 'Women Against the Far-Right', rejecting the 'far-right’s racist lies about protecting women and girls'
|STAND UP TO RACISM
Pointing out the already existing stigma against survivors that speak out about such crimes, Ms McGovern told host Martin Daubney: "What we're seeing as well is when survivors come forward with the story, that they are branded as far right for simply stating that they are concerned about the impact of mass immigration into this country.
"Despite there being a direct link to this, which there is, and the fact that they've now come out and said this is completely offensive to them."
Recounting her own horrific experience, she revealed to GB News: "A few years ago, I was walking home from work when someone was actually following me for several minutes and grabbed me from in between my legs and I had to scream and run to get out of that situation.
"And then when I did report it to the police, I found out that five or six other girls were also targeted by this man, and he was eventually deported, but it did take two years for that to happen."
Ms McGovern told GB News that the open letter's claims are 'offensive' to survivors of sexual abuse by foreign nationals
|GB NEWS
Criticising the open letter further, Ms McGovern hit out at the campaign for "conveniently" branding those who are concerned for their safety as far right.
She concluded: "Now that other women as well have spoken up about their experiences, there's been other people who've just come out and said you're far right for raising these concerns, for saying that about immigration and it having an impact on women's safety.
"And it absolutely does, so I think this is deeply offensive, and I think it also shows as well the direction that we're going in this country.
"That it's just convenient to brand them as far right for simply stating this as a concern, which it absolutely is."