{"id":9367,"date":"2021-10-27T12:07:44","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T11:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?p=9367"},"modified":"2021-10-27T12:17:43","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T11:17:43","slug":"save-brick-lane-a-local-campaign-group-is-fighting-back-on-and-offline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/save-brick-lane-a-local-campaign-group-is-fighting-back-on-and-offline\/","title":{"rendered":"Save Brick Lane: A local campaign group is fighting back on and offline"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Brick Lane area of London is being threatened by the local council with the construction of a mall, leading to the gentrification of the mostly South Asian area. How is Nijjor Manush, a local campaign group, using social media to combat this?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/220719912_615308259439890_4834072704611657043_n-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9497\" width=\"770\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/220719912_615308259439890_4834072704611657043_n-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/220719912_615308259439890_4834072704611657043_n-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/220719912_615308259439890_4834072704611657043_n-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/220719912_615308259439890_4834072704611657043_n.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/220719912_615308259439890_4834072704611657043_n-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/220719912_615308259439890_4834072704611657043_n-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9497\" width=\"770\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/220719912_615308259439890_4834072704611657043_n-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/220719912_615308259439890_4834072704611657043_n-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/220719912_615308259439890_4834072704611657043_n-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/220719912_615308259439890_4834072704611657043_n.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/220719912_615308259439890_4834072704611657043_n-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Brick Lane is nicknamed Banglatown because of its predominantly Bengali and Bangladeshi population. (Photo Credit: Sarah Ainslie) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When the Tower Hamlets Council announced the construction of a shopping mall at the heart of Shoreditch in the Spring of 2021, they received over 7,500 complaints because people were outraged. The mostly South-Asian community in East London would be affected the most, shunned away from an area they\u2019ve called home for over a century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The project proposed by the council would run on different streets around the Brick Lane area, destroying an old market and displacing local shops and curry restaurants, which make that area so original. Funded by the Truman Brewery, one of the biggest pub chains in London, it would cause a rise in rent that most locals can\u2019t afford, forcing them to relocate, and contributing more to the gentrification of East London, as well as the erasure of South Asian culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On social media, people were outraged: they demanded a different verdict, insisting that it would ruin Brick Lane\u2019s reputation, and contribute to the gentrification of the already-changing area. This is how the Save Brick Lane campaign started, fuelled by many campaign groups around London, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nijjormanush\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nijjor Manush<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOne of our followers messaged us on Instagram about it actually,\u201d explains Hajera Begum, one of their campaigners. \u201cThat&#8217;s when we put out some posts informing others about it. So, we wrote an example template with different arguments that people could make to email to their councillors. And complain about it. And that social media template got shared more than any of our other posts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"822\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222903550_875185750048811_2548771872020915502_n-1-822x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"9500\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=9500\" class=\"wp-image-9500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222903550_875185750048811_2548771872020915502_n-1-822x1024.jpg 822w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222903550_875185750048811_2548771872020915502_n-1-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222903550_875185750048811_2548771872020915502_n-1-770x960.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222903550_875185750048811_2548771872020915502_n-1.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222903550_875185750048811_2548771872020915502_n-1-293x365.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"822\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222903550_875185750048811_2548771872020915502_n-1-822x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"9500\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=9500\" class=\"wp-image-9500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222903550_875185750048811_2548771872020915502_n-1-822x1024.jpg 822w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222903550_875185750048811_2548771872020915502_n-1-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222903550_875185750048811_2548771872020915502_n-1-770x960.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222903550_875185750048811_2548771872020915502_n-1.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222903550_875185750048811_2548771872020915502_n-1-293x365.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"822\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1-822x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"9502\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=9502\" class=\"wp-image-9502\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1-822x1024.jpg 822w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1-770x960.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1-293x365.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"822\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1-822x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"9502\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=9502\" class=\"wp-image-9502\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1-822x1024.jpg 822w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1-770x960.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224198731_175960967859538_6093624573419284531_n-1-293x365.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\">Brick Lane is one of London&#8217;s most touristy areas, mostly because its rich culture and history refuses to be drowned by the modern. (Photo Credit: Nijjor Manush)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Nijjor Manush is a London-based campaign group that works toward empowering and educating about South Asian&#8217;s culture and influence in the UK. The name translates to \u2018my people\u2019, like your own family, friends, and close ones. It was created out of the need to see more representation, especially about Bengali and Bangladeshis. It was created by a group of 10 friends a few years ago and is based mostly on Instagram and Twitter but still aims to take concrete actions. They \u201ctry to really avoid Nijjor Manush being just a social media platform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe just started talking about how interesting and vibrant the South Asian generations before us were, and how active they were in their community,\u201d says Hajera. \u201cThey were so many campaigns that took place, and we didn\u2019t know about these things until we did our own research in university or through student politics. We felt that the issues remain in different forms, but the lessons could very directly be taken from how they organised to how we need to be organising right now.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBecause the community faces very similar issues, be it in housing or like gentrification. And we just wanted to kind of create those links. We kind of wanted to kind of foster that kind of mentality of, \u2018we should know about ourselves, and we should feel inspired to then be ourselves\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When they posted a template of a letter that people could copy to send to their local councillors, the post had thousands of interactions. As a result, the Tower Hamlet Council received nearly 7,500 complaints compared to 82 letters of support for this specific project. This is more than 10 times what they would usually receive. Hajera admits that that\u2019s when she and her team realised that people really cared about this kind of issue and wanted to see change happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was that energy that then helped us start the physical Stop Brick Lane campaign,\u201d she explains. \u201cThen the coalition was born out of not just Nijjor Manush but having a coalition with many other groups working around Tower Hamlets. And that shows that people care enough to make these networks. And then that gave us the confidence to kind of go and talk to people face-to-face as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"822\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n-822x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"9385\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=9385\" class=\"wp-image-9385\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n-822x1024.jpg 822w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n-770x960.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n-293x365.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"822\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n-822x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"9385\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=9385\" class=\"wp-image-9385\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n-822x1024.jpg 822w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n-770x960.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/223120403_4148072118608691_2628073380476163134_n-293x365.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 822px) 100vw, 822px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"9387\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=9387\" class=\"wp-image-9387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n-770x963.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n-293x366.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"9387\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=9387\" class=\"wp-image-9387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n-770x963.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/222503941_1958849960956673_8083854923766195844_n-293x366.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"9389\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=9389\" class=\"wp-image-9389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1-770x963.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1-293x366.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"9389\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/?attachment_id=9389\" class=\"wp-image-9389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1-770x963.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/224129192_870032670271184_6019005484401438368_n-1-293x366.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\">People protested throughout the months of August and September, walking up and down Brick Lane. (Photo Credit: Nijjor Manush).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Indeed, every weekend, sometimes even several times a week, their team members would be on the ground, heading out leaflets, door-knocking, talking to businesses and calling councillors. Hajera insists that that \u201cthe Save Brick Lane campaign isn&#8217;t primarily a social media campaign &#8211; It\u2019s actually primarily and on the ground campaign, and social media is really one small element of what we&#8217;re doing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And yet, she can\u2019t deny the importance social media has played on the success of the campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think you just can&#8217;t reach that many people without social media now,\u201d she says. \u201cIt&#8217;s an amazing way of reaching people and connecting with different organisations in different campaigns. So, I think that that&#8217;s the massive advantage of it. Interestingly enough, that\u2019s the way we found out about the campaign, from someone messaging us on Instagram. I think social media makes it very easy to physically reach many people if used correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Social media activism is something that has become so prevalent in the past few years because of the rise in social media consumption, especially during the pandemic. Surveys show that<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/internet\/2021\/04\/07\/social-media-use-in-2021\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> 85% of people under 30<\/a> use at least one form of social media platform on a daily basis. On top of that, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2020\/07\/13\/activism-on-social-media-varies-by-race-and-ethnicity-age-political-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">36% of them<\/a> have said that they used the platforms to seek out and support activist causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe&#8217;re using social media to kind of spread information,\u201d Hajera explains about Nijjor Manush. \u201cBut at the same time, we do want to encourage people to come to events and do their own research. That when you inspire someone that they then go and do their own research or attend other events for the cause. We don&#8217;t want our page to just say, \u2018Come and read four little slides on Instagram posts about one topic and think you&#8217;re an expert in it\u2019. Absolutely not. It&#8217;s more like, \u2018did you know about this? And if you&#8217;re interested in it, find out more. I think social media is just one piece of the puzzle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" title=\"Save Brick Lane - BBC London News 14 September 2021\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wpNtZJEXQFM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><noscript><iframe title=\"Save Brick Lane - BBC London News 14 September 2021\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wpNtZJEXQFM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div><figcaption>The Save Brick Lane campaign became bigger than just a local call-for-action and reached national news platforms like BBC and ITV. (Credit: BBC).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But it\u2019s important to remain critical too, she explains: you can learn about certain issues, but there needs to be an application of what you have learnt. Social media activism is indeed often called performative by pessimists to undermine young activists and their accomplishments.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSometimes for sure [the application] can be missing. And you can feel like, \u2018oh, I\u2019ve shared the post and I\u2019ve done my bit.\u2019 And that might be your bit for some things, and that might be all you can do, but that can&#8217;t be all for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nijjor Manush were far from receiving only support for their different campaigns. Being open and honest on social media implies streams of people who disagree with you, and who are very vocal about it &#8211; whether it be about your opinions or about how you go about publicising your opinions. But that\u2019s not always a bad thing, explains Hajera.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think um, social media gives people an opportunity to have dark conversations,\u201d she says. \u201cSocial media is a good place to get conversations going and to pique interest. I think sometimes we can get like wrapped up in, you know, \u2018we&#8217;re having this modern crisis and things are turning terribly wrong\u2019, and I&#8217;m not sure that&#8217;s the case. I think there&#8217;s always been multiple tactics and advantages and disadvantages to them, and things have moved forward always. And they will continue to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eventually, in mid-September, the Tower Hamlets Council decided to proceed with the construction plans of the shopping mall. But as Hajera states, that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEven though in the end they did put the plans through, I think the social media campaign was a big help. And we hope it will continue to help for different campaigns. I hope it doesn\u2019t end there,\u201d she concludes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The future of Brick Lane is on the line.  How is a small campaign group fighting for it?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":606,"featured_media":9383,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[57,281,279,133],"class_list":["post-9367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-activism","tag-london","tag-protests","tag-racism"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Save Brick Lane: A local campaign group is fighting back on and offline - Life360<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/save-brick-lane-a-local-campaign-group-is-fighting-back-on-and-offline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Save Brick Lane: A local campaign group is fighting back on and offline - Life360\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The future of Brick Lane is on the line. How is a small campaign group fighting for it?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/save-brick-lane-a-local-campaign-group-is-fighting-back-on-and-offline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Life360\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-10-27T11:07:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-27T11:17:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2021\/10\/hello-i-m-nik-iq6sXLc8REQ-unsplash.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Scarlet Charles\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@simpIyscarlet\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Scarlet Charles\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/save-brick-lane-a-local-campaign-group-is-fighting-back-on-and-offline\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/life360\/save-brick-lane-a-local-campaign-group-is-fighting-back-on-and-offline\/\",\"name\":\"Save Brick Lane: A local campaign group is fighting back on and offline - 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