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Demonisation of poor people is the focus of this year’s Poverty and Homelessness Action Week

Action Week challenges stereotypes

Demonisation of poor people is the focus of this year’s Poverty and Homelessness Action Week

by Symon Hill 25th January 2013

Church Action on Poverty (CAP) say that the demonisation of poor people in the UK has become so severe that they have decided to make it the focus of this year’s Poverty and Homelessness Action Week.  The Week will take place from 26 January to 3 February.

There will be hundreds of events at places of worship, as well as the publication of a new report on the stigmatisation of people on low incomes. The week is organised by CAP, Housing Justice and Scottish Churches Housing Action with the support of faith-based groups, including Quaker Housing Trust.

‘Politicians and the media use abusive language and images, and fuel mistrust by contrasting supposed “strivers” with “skivers”,’ said CAP’s national coordinator Niall Cooper. ‘They use this blame game to justify cuts to our safety net, which will drive hundreds of thousands of people further into poverty.’

He urged supporters to email their MPs and to ask them to denounce sterotyping of the poor.

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