About Searchlight Educational Trust

Searchlight Educational Trust is a registered charity (number 1013880) that works with communities to build responses to racism and hatred, dispel myths and develop greater understanding.

Since its formation in 1992 it has provided education and training in relation to racial and religious prejudice, carried out research into the causes and effects of racial and religious prejudice and disharmony and disseminated the results of such research, with the aim of providing a positive input into challenging and understanding the social and historical factors behind far-right extremism.

It aims to empower community organisations, statutory bodies, youth workers, trade unions and individuals with the knowledge and tools to tackle and understand manifestations of racial hatred.

SET’s first major publication was When hate comes to town, an acclaimed handbook of community responses to racism (now out of print). It was followed by other booklets and documents, notably White Noise, an investigation of the international nazi skinhead and hate music scene; Holocaust Denial, which covered the David Irving libel action against Professor Deborah Lipstadt and included a wider investigation of Holocaust denial and revisionism; and From Cable Street to Oldham, an account of 70 years of community resistance to fascism in the UK.

SET carries out training based around Signs of Hate, a publication that in 2004 addressed the growing concerns of the criminal justice system that not enough was known or understood about the often secret signs, symbols and language of hate groups. Signs of Hate drew on over 40 years of monitoring and gathering intelligence on the far right and is widely used within the criminal justice system, in particular the Prison Service. SET currently offers a two-hour training presentation, broadening and further complimenting Signs of Hate to cover a wide range of subjects including music, football, national identity, extremist history and myth busting.

SET has undertaken an anti-racist project in Barking and Dagenham, east London, using sports and community activities to bring young people from different communities and backgrounds together and encourage them to participate in a programme to develop young community leaders and prevent racist violence. This project is in the process of being widened.

SET continues to develop its community organising programme, Building New Communities, which works with local communities to build a localised response to racism and hatred. Racism exists through ignorance and fear and is often related to a feeling of despair. By working with and within local communities, we aim to dispel myths, develop greater understanding and find positive answers to their problems – thus providing local people with HOPE rather than hate.