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People Are Wearing Safety Pins In Solidarity After The US Election

The safety pin first became a symbol of support after the Brexit vote in the UK.

In the aftermath of the US presidential election, people are wearing safety pins as a symbol of solidarity with people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ people, religious minorities, and others facing targeted violence.

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The movement got it's start after the successful Brexit campaign in the UK, when many immigrants and refugees faced an uptick in racist attacks.

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Allison, the American woman living in London who started it, told BuzzFeed News how the idea came to be.

“I thought about something that would cost nothing and had no political affiliation. Something that says, ‘I am a safe space, you can sit next to me, you can talk to me, you can ask me for a help,'” she said.

Now, thousands of people are wearing safety pins and sharing photos of it on social media.

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Many are also sharing what the pin symbolizes to them.

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However, many people are saying that wearing a safety pin is an empty gesture if it's not accompanied by action.

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And quite a few are calling it "slacktivism" and "performative."

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Others are noting that it appears that the vast majority of people posting about wearing safety pins are white.

The same sentiment sprung up when people began wearing the pins after Brexit as well.

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