Jo Cox GoFundMe Page Exceeds £500,000 As Donations Flood In For Hope Not Hate, White Helmets And Royal Voluntary Service

More than £500,000 has been donated in just one day to three charities that were close to Jo Cox's heart.

The GoFundMe page set up in honour of the murdered Labour MP has seen hundreds of thousands of pounds flood in for charities that rescue people from extremism, loneliness and violence in Syria. 

The mother-of-two was shot and stabbed outside her constituency office on Thursday.

Her family, who set up the fund on Friday afternoon, has announced that Hope Not Hate, the Royal Voluntary Service And The White Helmets will receive the donations.

More than 17,000 people have donated money, which had reached £500,000 by Saturday night. 

On Saturday morning, the man charged with Cox's murder, Thomas Mair, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court. 

The 52-year-old gave his name in court as “Death to traitors, freedom for Britain”. He was remanded in custody and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on Monday.

The page includes a quote from Cox’s husband, Brendan, who said: “Jo believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life with an energy, and a zest for life that would exhaust most people.

"She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now, one that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her.”

“Let’s come together and give what we can to help create that better world,” the page says.

Hope Not Hate (HnH) has campaigned against extremism to defeat “the politics of hate... within local communities across Britain”.

The group was founded in 2004 when the British National Party (BNP) began to win electoral success.

Since 2010, HnH has worked to oppose groups like the English Defence League and nearly 50,000 people signed its letter opposing Islamophobia in the wake of Lee Rigby’s murder.

A HnH spokesman told HuffPost UK on Friday: “We are extremely humbled to be chosen for support in this way. Jo was a brave and principled woman, whose passion was clear. 

“In life, she fought for the rights of of many, from her constituents to the plight of refugees. 

“In her untimely death, a light has gone out, but we will strive to remember her in the many projects and work we carry out to combat hatred and forge unity between all our communities.”

The White Helmets, as the Syrian Civil Defence, is another charity the page is raising money for.

The White Helmets is a group of unarmed, neutral firefighters who “have saved more than 51,000 lives from under the rubble and bring hope to the region,” according to the fundraising page.

Speaking in 2014, one member told The Huffington Post: “When we hear the sound of an airplane, we respond quickly. We ask civilians where the bombing took place.

"We ask the neighbors if they know if there is still anybody under the destruction... Sometimes we’re able to rescue lives, when we have the proper equipment. And sometimes we can’t.”

Before her election as an MP in 2015, Cox was an aid worker in the world’s war zones, including Syria, and passionately advocated Britain taking in refugees fleeing the war there.

Lastly, the page will raise money for the Batley and Spend branch of The Royal Voluntary Service, which works with lonely, isolated elderly people to help them get out more.

Its 35,000 volunteers visit older people in their homes and help them get out to socialise, as well as helping them carry out chores and errands and issues like hospital visits.

The charity also campaigns to raise awareness of the issues older people face.