When Ricken Patel, the half Indian, half Canadian founder of Avaaz set up the mainly-online campaign group in 2007 with the aim of bridging the gap between the “world we have and the world most people everywhere want,” that world was a different place; much of it still embroiled in the global financial crisis, and ensuing economic slowdown. Nationalism and populism were of course on the horizon, but with nowhere near the firepower them seem to currently wield as the world confronts populist leaders across the world, amid mounting calls for tighter border control and checks on globalization and the branding of those who saw beyond boundaries as a “global elite.. Yet Mr. Patel, who heads the now 44-million-member strong organization is as optimistic as ever. “I feel that Avaaz was meant to be a movement to stand up to the politics of demonisation and division,” he said in a recent Skype interview from Canada, where he is currently based.
Since its inception Avaaz has tried to strike a balance between online petitions and more active forms of participation, such as raising funding for media campaigns, lobbying politicians, rallying people for marches, and visual “stunts” — such as the large cut out figures of Adolf Hitler and other fascist leaders that they had sail down the river, past a conference of European far right leaders in Germany earlier this year. Avaaz was particularly active in the recent U.S. presidential campaign, devising an online tool that made it easier for overseas U.S. citizens — thought to be largely Democrat party supporters - to register to vote. New York-headquartered Avaaz, and Mr. Patel himself make no secret of the fact that they supported the Hilary campaign, and ran other initiatives such as an SMS programme that gave members a tool by which they could text over 2.5 million millennial voters in key swing states. “Hundreds of thousands of conversations took place, which was important as it was a close election,” he says. Last November, Avaaz even filed a criminal complaint in Florida over U.S. government chief strategist Stephen Bannon’s registration to vote there. So concerned is Avaaz about the potential impact of its past and current confrontation with the Trump administration that they’ve begun moving key assets out of the U.S and created entities in Europe as a precautionary measure.
Among its most high profile moves recently was a global letter condemning the travel ban, which has attracted over 5.1 million signatures from across the world. “We launched it during the election campaign, when it did very well but it went viral again,” says Mr. Patel. “People were looking for something and this is the premise we are based on: when our leaders do things that are fundamentally out of step with the values of people, we try to pool those values together to challenge it. People are coming together with this as a lightening rod online.”
Mr. Patel believes that the success of initiatives such as the petition — and the global protest movement that was awakened after Trump’s election - is one reason why global campaign groups are as relevant as ever. “The media looks at trends and we look at gaps. Yes, there is a rising trend of nationalism and that is accurate but the field I see is the overwhelming majority of people in the vast majority of places are not lining up with those far right elements,” he says. “Look at how hard the Americans are fighting for people who don’t have an American passport. It’s a testament to how far we have come in our humanity, and our recognition that the other is not so different and that we are passionate about their rights.”
Despite Mr Patel’s India links and a strong start for Avaaz in India in the early days — spurred in particular around a campaign around the 2011 Jan Lokpal legislation — membership in India has flat-lined at just under a million, with Avaaz withdrawing all staff from the country. “The Modi government has come at us hard as they have with international groups with human rights and environmental groups,” says Mr. Patel. In India, the group has focused mainly on community led petitions (Avaaz has two types: those triggered by Avaaz’s own staff and those from its online community) including a recent one against V.K. Sasikala becoming Chief Minister.
The group’s next focal point will be the forthcoming European general elections in France, the Netherlands and Germany, where Avaaz is focusing on the politics of hate and fake news.
In the Netherlands it ran a poll that found strong public opposition to a Trump-style travel ban, and is using the momentum of this to focus on lobbying work around ensuring the current administration keeps to its commitments to not form a coalition with Geert Wilders, who heads the anti-Islam, anti E.U. Party for Freedom. In Germany, Avaaz is running a campaign — and a petition — to stop Google from placing adverts on the far-right news network Breitbart’s website, in line with its policy on hate speech. “We know what the problems are but it’s identifying the best way we can help to tackle the solutions that is always the challenge,” says Mr. Patel. More actions and campaigns are planned as the election time draws closer.
Avaaz has had to tackle its own share of “fake news” problems, facing suggestions online that they were “CIA stooges” or bankrolled by George Soros. There is a ‘tendril of truth” to this, Mr. Patel points out: Mr. Soros did in fact support one of the organisations responsible for providing 10% of its start up funding. Since then the organization has relied purely on individual donations, capped at 5,000 euros a head.
Challenging “troll armies” online has become an increasing prominent component of Avaaz’s work, says Mr. Patel. “The scale of the social media pressure is enormous. It gets close to hand to hand combat.” He is determined that there are other forces at work, pointing in particular Russia. “Russia is in a campaign to destabilise liberal democracy. They don’t care who wins the political game so long as trust is destroyed.”
Still, he remains cautiously optimistic about the forthcoming elections in Europe, and beyond. “There are of course toxic elements in these movements but there are also a lot of sincere and honest people who want things to change and are falling for the age old con of blaming others. In the U.S. people will eventually see its not America First - they’ll realize its Trump First. Is he going to deliver for those people? I don’t think so.”
“In my view humanity learns from key moments of failure — we have to fall before we can get back. This is a key moment of learning and ferment for humanity.”
