From Tommy Robinson to Reform UK, nationalist figures are increasingly using the safety of women and children as a rallying cry to justify anti-immigration policies. At a recent 'unite the kingdom' rally, Robinson told supporters that women and daughters are scared to walk the streets due to 'open border, mass uncontrolled immigration'.
Reform politicians have seized on this narrative, with leader Nigel Farage claiming that anger over housing asylum seekers has shifted from fairness to concerns about women's safety. New Reform MP Sarah Pochin stated that her party is the only one talking about protecting women and children from illegal migrants.
Experts say this rhetorical device serves three purposes: legitimising hostility as defence, stereotyping immigrants as sexual predators, and mobilising supporters against an imminent threat. Professor Rob Ford of the University of Manchester noted that the phrase 'protect women and children' reframes aggression as protection and brings negative stereotypes to the fore.
Similar language has been used by Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Giorgia Meloni in Italy, and is increasingly prevalent in the US, where Donald Trump and JD Vance have echoed the theme. Professor Jean-François Drolet of Queen Mary University of London observed a paternalistic subtext, hinting at a need to protect traditional gender roles and family values.
