EXIT-Deutschland, the German anti-fascist initiative, can only continue its work with the aid of donations. A commitment that in 2015 is more important than ever, as millions of refugees seek protection in Germany. While some Germans greet them with open arms, others react with sheer hatred. On social media channels, particularly Facebook, this hate pours out with unimaginable force. We set ourselves the task of proactively responding to the hatred while raising funds for EXIT. While politicians and the media kept discussing about the right approach, we came up with: the involuntary online donation initiative DONATE THE HATE. For every hate comment posted on Facebook, the campaign makes an “involuntary” €1 donation to refugees and EXIT.
We have to respond to the authors of hate comments promptly – in order to post an immediate, positive counter reaction to their hatred, and to turn each one of their comments into an involuntary donation for the good cause. Therefore we have programmed an innovative Facebook tool that enables us and our supporters to respond to hate comments in a direct and personalized way.
DONATE THE HATE has spread internationally via traditional media and social networks – without a single Euro of media spend. Our hashtag reached millions of people. Thus we are winning many more supporters – organizations and private individuals – for our cause. Two weeks after launching the campaign even Facebook got in touch, saying they wanted to support us. By now DONATE THE HATE is responding to more than 10,000 hate comments – interacting directly with the haters – and raising more than €14,000 for refugees and against neo-Nazis. The campaign is also currently being adapted in further countries.