The Observer Book Club with Nick Lowles

Invited experts

John Simpson

Home Affairs Editor

Nick Lowles

CEO, HOPE not hate

Join us for a rallying Observer Book Club event with Nick Lowles, veteran campaigner and founder of HOPE not hate, as he discusses his urgent new book, How to Defeat the Far Right: Lessons from Hope Not Hate. Drawing on 35 years of frontline experience and two decades leading Britain’s largest anti-fascist organisation, Lowles delivers a searing critique of the rise of extremism and intolerance across Western societies. He unpacks how far-right and populist movements have gained traction, fueling a surge in anti-immigration, antisemitic, and Islamophobic attacks, and offers a clear-eyed analysis of what is happening - and why. Most crucially, Lowles provides practical strategies for activists, politicians, and citizens to counter the far right, drawing on innovative campaigns and hard-won lessons from the fight against hate. Together in the newsroom, we’ll ask: What makes far-right movements so resilient? How can communities effectively push back? And how can hope, rather than fear, become the driving force for change?