Attest statement on UK riots

The events unravelling across the UK are upsetting, troubling and frightening. For some, they’re uncomfortably familiar, and painfully, they’re also disappointing.

It’s a shock for some of us; we live in one of the most advanced social, political and economic countries in the world and we have a long history to learn from so we should have moved beyond this behaviour. We love this country for what it is for us, what it can be, and the people that make it real. So it hurts us to feel such shame and it hurts us to see our friends and loved ones feel fear.

We acknowledge outright that these are not protests, they are acts of terror that have been instigated by racist, Islamaphobic, extreme-right terror groups that intend to create fear and division in our communities. The actors behind these groups are well known and well versed in deceit and hate and they have been unleashing propaganda and lies to further their personal gains for many years.

The unfortunate reality is that we will read and be exposed to much more of this propaganda for a while, and it will pollute our social media feeds. We’ll read comments from acquaintances and friends who rationalise that this is about two-tier policing or aim to justify terror. It is a duty for each of us to be resilient to and recognise such dangerous comments.

The motivations and people behind these riots are starkly against everything we stand for at Attest. We are proud that we value, and actively seek out, diversity of background, thought and experiences. We leave no space for hate and bigotry choosing instead love and understanding. Together we will continue to champion these values. We will use our platform and voices to promote our values of diversity and inclusion. We won’t let these groups define the country that we live in or the values that we hold.

We’re asking Attesters to prioritise their safety during these times and make use of our flexible working arrangements if it helps; that may include working from home or shifting working hours to support family and friends. And we’re offering any support that will help protect the safety of our colleagues and their loved ones at this time.

Thank you for your strength and solidarity.

Attest’s leadership team