“I urge you to reconsider your decision to host this event."
Anti-racism campaigners have criticised a Birmingham events venue for hosting far-right commentator Katie Hopkins as part of her UK tour.
The H-Suite in Edgbaston is promoting a leg of Hopkins’ stand-up show Batsh*t Bonkers Britain, drawing condemnation from local campaigners who say her views are at odds with the city’s diverse population.
The venue, which markets itself as ideal for Asian weddings and multicultural events, is known for championing Birmingham’s ethnic and religious diversity.
It prominently features photos of Asian and Caribbean weddings on its website, including an image of the late Nazir Awan, a respected community figure.
Now, his daughter Noori Awan is among those urging the H-Suite to cancel the event.
She wrote in an email to the venue: “Providing (Katie Hopkins) with a platform legitimises (her) views and contributes to a climate of division and intolerance.
“I am deeply disappointed the H Suite would align itself, even indirectly, with such messaging.
“What makes this especially painful is that your website features a photograph of my late father, a man who dedicated his life to values of unity, equality, and community cohesion.
“Using his image to represent your venue while hosting someone like Katie Hopkins is not only contradictory, it feels like a betrayal of the principles he stood for.
“I urge you to reconsider your decision to host this event.
“I also ask you remove his photograph from your website if the venue chooses to proceed, as I do not wish for his legacy to be associated with a platform that enables hate speech.”
Katie Hopkins is known for her outspoken views on race, immigration and Islam.
She has previously been banned from South Africa and deported from Australia after breaking quarantine rules.
She was also dropped by LBC following controversial comments in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing.
Jagwant Johal, a representative of the Birmingham Race Impact Group (BRIG), said the H-Suite’s decision sent the wrong signal to a city that claims to stand against racism.
He said: “Words proclaiming this is an anti-racist city are cheap – it is actions that show whether or not we are committed to it and so far on this, Birmingham is failing.”
The backlash comes just weeks after Birmingham City Council was criticised for allowing Britain First to set up a platform and stage a rally outside its headquarters.
That event went ahead despite council leader John Cotton previously stating it would not be permitted.
Hopkins has become a lightning rod for controversy. She has described herself as a “conduit for truth” and claimed to say “what other people think but are too scared to say”.
Critics accuse her of fuelling race hate and promoting division.
She frequently attacks what she calls “woke culture” and has cultivated a following through her controversial commentary. Her supporters view her as a voice for free speech; her critics say she spreads dangerous rhetoric.
The event at the H-Suite is scheduled for Friday, June 27, and tickets remain on sale at £34 each. Both BRIG and Stand Up To Racism are calling for the event to be scrapped and are planning a protest if it goes ahead.
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