Catalogue Number
NMLH.2025.30.3
Object Name
placard
Title
'Birth Place: Earth, Race: Human, Politics: Freedom, Religion: Love'
Place
Batley and Spen, Birstall, West Yorkshire
People
Jo Cox MP, Labour Party, Jo Cox Foundation
Events
Murder of Jo Cox, Brexit
Description
A brown cardboard placard with black felt tip text. Reads: ''Birth Place: Earth, Race: Human, Politics: Freedom, Religion: Love'.
This placard was created in response to the murder of Jo Cox, the MP for Batley and Spen on 16 June 2016. Cox, one of the youngest MPs in Parliament, was shot and stabbed by white supremacist neo-Nazi Thomas Alexander Mair while she travelled to her constituency surgery. As a pro-EU, anti-Brexit and pro-migrant MP, Mair viewed Cox as a "collaborator" and race traitor, and intentionally murdered her as an act of terrorism. Eyewitnesses reported Mair shouting "keep Britain independent" and "this is for Britain" during the attack, which is viewed as proof Ms Cox was targeted for her political views.
Following her murder, there was a huge public outpouring of grief and Jo Cox's husband and family led campaigns for community cohesiveness, founding the Jo Cox Foundation. Communities gathered on 22 June, which would have been Cox's 42nd birthday, and this placard was used on that date.
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