“Everyone has safety pins in their house,” she said. The woman, who used a Twitter account, that has been deleted, had been inspired by the #illridewithyou movement in Australia, in which people offered to take public transportation with Muslims fearing a backlash after a Muslim gunman held people hostage in a cafe in 2014. Two days later, #safetypin was trending on Twitter. An American woman living in Britain tweeted a suggestion that people wear safety pins to show support to those experiencing abuse. After British citizens voted to leave the European Union in June, the nation experienced a 57 percent rise in reported xenophobic incidents. In wearing the safety pin, participants are taking a page from protesters of the Brexit referendum results.
The actress Jaime King posted the same words to her Instagram account. All I ask is that you be with me, too.” Between the two statements, sentences began with “If you’re a person of color … ” and “If you’re a refugee … ” and offered various forms of support. On Friday, the actor Patrick Stewart posted a photo of himself to Twitter wearing a pin on his jacket, and the photographer Cass Bird shared an Instagram post about why she’s wearing one that started with “If you wear a hijab, I’ll sit with you on the train” and ended with: “If you need me, I’ll be with you.