The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
United by tragedy – and will to fight hate
Mike Haines joins forces with Brendan Cox to spread message of peace and unity
The brother of aid worker David Haines has joined forces with the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox in the wake of the Westminster terror attack.
Peace campaigner Mike Haines teamed up with Brendan Cox to call for unity and “drown out the voices of hatred”.
Mr Haines, from Dundee, set up his own Global Acts of Unity campaign after his brother’s murder at the hands of IS terrorists in 2014.
He was talking to pupils at a school in London, just hours before Khalid Masood drove his car at pedestrians on Westminster Bridge.
Mr Haines has now helped launch a sticker campaign to promote Hope Not Hate’s message.
The iconic London Undergroundinspired labels have been distributed throughout the country and shared across social media.
Mr Haines said: “The day after the attack, I was walking through London and I saw people from all cultures and backgrounds condemning what had happened.
“It showed how important it was to stand together and show that we are united against these acts.”
He went on: “I got together with Brendan to help out the Hope Not Hate campaign. We wanted to do anything we could to help spread that message.
“He has been a real inspiration to me and the way that he does what he does, with such dignity, is really remarkable. I see him as a role model.
“It was members of my team who came up with the design for the Hope Not Hate stickers.
“We wanted to use the London Underground symbol because it is so iconic and is recognised around the world.
“In the last week or so, we’ve shipped out hundreds of thousands of these stickers all across the country. The level of demand has been incredible.”
Mr Haines has spoken to more than 10,000 people – from schoolchildren to religious leaders – since former Perth Academy pupil David was publicly murdered in Syria, sending shockwaves around the world.
He said: “In London, the response we have had from the students has been overwhelming.
“It has always been difficult to speak about David and it doesn’t get any easier, to be honest.
“But the response from the pupils has been the silver lining on this very dark cloud. They are determined to make things better. They really are our future.”
Father-of-two Brendan Cox made similar calls for unity after his Labour MP wife Jo was killed in her West Yorkshire constituency in June last year.
He said: “The aim of terrorism is not to defeat us militarily, it is to divide us from each other.
“That’s why we are standing together today – and that’s why thousands of people across the country are standing together – and this is how we will defeat hatred.”