Uncovering a growing anti-human rights movement
Amnesty International UK research has exposed a growing anti-human rights movement in the UK, targeting our reproductive freedoms, our access to abortion, and the rights of LGBTI people. But we won't let them divide us. Together, we will speak out, stand up, and show up for each other.
Organisations undermining human rights protections
There is a growing anti-human rights movement in the UK, targeting our reproductive freedoms, our access to abortion, and the rights of LGBTI people.
Between November 2024 and June 2025, we have uncovered a rapidly expanding network of organisations working to undermine human rights protections and spread shame and fear.
This is a deliberate and coordinated attack, led by people who are weaponising misinformation, fabricating moral panic and exploiting existing prejudice to sow divisions.
The goal of these well-funded campaigns, which take inspiration from movements in the US, is to roll back our hard-won rights, undermine equality, and rewrite the rules on who deserves dignity and freedom.
“Our research has exposed what we’re up against. Together, we will speak out, stand up, and show up for each other.”
The threat is real, organised and growing
We conducted groundbreaking analysis mapping the nature and finances of 65 anti-rights groups operating across the UK, including anti-abortion organisations, groups promoting so-called ‘conversion therapy’, UK branches of powerful US-based organisations, and ultra-conservative Christian groups.
Many of these groups have emerged since 2015.
We conducted extensive analysis of 32 of them. Here's what we uncovered:
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£106 million
They spent a staggering £106 million between 2019 and 2023, an increase of over 33%
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165%
Groups promoting so-called ‘conversion therapy’ have increased their spending by an alarming 165%
- The largest spenders are UK branches of US organisations (£34 million), ultra-conservative Christian policy/advocacy groups (£31.5 million), and anti-abortion organisations (£28.5 million)
- Expenditure by unregulated ‘crisis pregnancy centres’ – which work to dissuade pregnant people from seeking an abortion – rose by 46% between 2019 and 2023
Let’s stop hatred and victimisation spreading
The Alliance for Defending Freedom (ADF), a Christian group that was instrumental in decimating abortion rights in the USA through the reversal of Roe v Wade, set up a UK branch in 2015.
The ADF promotes laws and policies that block access to abortion and LGBTI rights. In the UK they have been defending individuals charged for breaching Safe Access Zones around abortion clinics.
The ADF’s expenditure in the UK rose by 187% between 2019 and 2023, to £3.9 million.
There are also at least 12 groups in the UK promoting the harmful and abusive practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ - aiming to ‘change’ or suppress people’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Terrifyingly, spending on this misguided and prejudiced practice is growing faster than any of the other areas we looked at.
The UK government announced plans to ban conversion therapy in July 2024, but no legislation has materialised. We won’t stop pressuring them to keep their promise.
Fight for the right to love
Anti-rights groups want a world where only some sorts of love are allowed; and where you can’t make choices about your own body.
They want to roll back gender rights, and criminalise lesbian, gay, trans and bisexual people.
But our research has exposed what we’re up against. We won’t let them divide us. This erosion of our freedom matters to all of us. Together, we will speak out, stand up, and show up for each other.
We are not powerless and we are not alone. Human rights are universal and when someone's freedom is under attack, everyone stands to lose.
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