Love Music Hate Racism

Stoke LMHR activist Jon Honeysett attended last weekend's protest against the BNP's Red White & Blue "festival" in Derbyshire, along with other people from our Stoke group. Today's Guardian published an excellent and angry letter from Jon about the policing of the Codnor protest, click the title of this item to read it in full.

From nme.com: Lily Allen has posted by a clip of a new song about the British National Party on her MySpace page. The song, entitled 'Guess Who Batman?', is expected to feature on Allen's forthcoming second album, which she is completing in Los Angeles. Writing on the Lily Allen MySpace blog, the singer explained, "This song is not a direct attack at anyone, it was originally written about the BNP in the UK but then I felt this issue has become relevant pretty much everywhere." The song features the lyrics, "Look inside your tiny mind, then look a bit harder/'Cos we're so uninspired, so sick and tired of all the hatred you harbour/So you say it's not OK to be gay, well I think you're just evil/You're just some racist who can't tie my laces, your point of view is medieval/Fuck you, fuck you very much/'Cos we hate what you do and we hate your whole crew, so please don't stay in touch."

Following the distinctly iffy 'controversy' over Jay-Z headlining Glastonbury this year, comes the news that top rapper and LMHR supporter Lethal Bizzle got some nasty racist abuse at last weekend's "Download" Festival. An article in today's Independent looks at what happened, and tells Lethal's side of the story. Lethal has proposed curating a rock/hip-hop LMHR gig in response - in his manager's words to, "get a load of rock bands together to show their support for Bizzle and fans to show theirs too. This was just a minority involved in the racial abuse Bizzle was subjected to, but I think it’s important we make it clear that many people think this it totally unacceptable and if we can organize something that will bring different groups together that would be good."

Love Music Hate Racism condemns the decision of new Tory London mayor Boris Johnson to drop the explicitly anti-racist element of the annual free ‘Rise’ music festival. Boris Johnson should reinstate the Rise Festival along its original lines. If Rise isn’t reinstated in its previous form, LMHR would like to see another annual London anti-racist festival and would like to explore with other organisations how we can ensure this happens.

By Phil Turner, Rotherham Advertiser. A FLOOD of support has poured in for the 6th September Love Music Hate Racism carnival in response to the election of two BNP councillors in Rotherham. A host of local bands are queuing up to join huge names playing at the September festival.

Daniel Trilling's 'review' of the LMHR Carnival in the New Statesman was the loud sound of the point sailing way over the head of the reviewer. Leaders of some of the event's main trade union sponsors responded.

Excellent review of the Carnival in The Independent by Nick Hasted Monday, 28 April 2008 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/love-music-hate-racism-carnival-victoria-park-london-816631.html "The fact that a bill in which skinny indie bands such as The Paddingtons, a heaving dance tent and the grime act Roll Deep's Wiley can co-exist in the East End heartland is perhaps anti-fascist statement enough. The utter impossibility of the BNP raising such a crowd in London is suddenly glaring. "

Tom Robinson is today best known as a popular presenter on the BBC's digital station 6 Music. But in 1978 Tom fronted the Tom Robinson Band, headlined the 30th April Victoria Park ANL/RAR Carnival, and was a driving force in Rock Against Racism. He talked to LMHR about the anniversary and need to keep fighting racism.

LMHR & UAF supporters in Oxfordshire have really got stuck into publicising and raising money for LMHR Carnival '08, and are using the Victoria Park Carnival as a focus for helping the anti-racist movement grow in their area - in the process coming up with great ideas that anyone in any area could take up.

A BNP member in south-east London was convicted last week for possessing illegal weapons. Ellis Hammond worked as a "Police Community Support Officer" but had a stash of arms and racist hate literature...

Leon Greenman OBE , survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp and anti fascist campaigner passed away yesterday at the age of 97. He will be sorely missed—and never forgotten.

By Meenal Odedra - LMHR supporter in Swadlincote, Derby. I know that racism is something that should never be tolerated. But what I am unable to understand is how songs such as Bashy's “Black Boys” are seen as unappropriate. This song - which celebrates the achievements of various Black artists - has caused conflict among listeners. To some it segregates the race, puts them above others-which could seem quite negative; people have argued that if such songs called “White Boys” were released it would be deemed racist. To others however, it celebrates their culture and shows that although their history was not the easiest to overcome, their future looks promising.

Olivia Fletcher speaks to Statik and explores whether grindie is a new genre of music, just a fad or even a phenomenon... (from The Voice 13.12.07)

Newscastle University Students' Union recently held a Love Music Hate Racism event in honour of Martin Luther King, who received his Honary doctorate from Newcastle Universtiy 40 years ago this month. Racial Equality Officer Michael Oliver reports on how he made his first LMHR event a success...

Good article on bhangra in this month's Observer Music Monthly. "It started as Punjabi farmers' music, then took on its own unique British identity - and now bhangra is going global. Talking to the stars of the scene, Sue Steward follows the sound of the drums"

By Andrew Smith. Though more commonly-namechecked bands like The Clash are often credited with the significant popular cultural fusion of reggae and punk in the late 1970s there is one band which should be far from overlooked ... Much of The Ruts' reggae-punk sound can be credited to the cutting, jagged guitar sound of Paul Fox ... His influence for those who have discovered his work is phenomenal and credit will always go to him for his anti-fascist work and his influence on the anti-racist cultural movement of the late 1970s.

By Olivia Fletcher, LMHR. "Scientist", James Watson's theory was last week splashed on the front cover of The Independent (Wednesday 17 October 2007) which read "Africans are less intelligent than Westerners, says DNA pioneer". Following a huge response from campaigners and other scientists opposing his views, Watson has since had meetings and lecture tours cancelled and suspended from his academic post.

Unite Against Fascism has learnt that Oxford Union debating society has invited Fascist BNP leader Nick Griffin and convicted Holocaust denier David Irving to a debate on 'Freedom of Speech' on 26 November. UAF understands they both have been confirmed for this 'debate'. Wherever fascists have a presence, violence and intimidation increases. Fascists stand against the principles of freedom of speech and as history shows, they destroy all opposition by physically annihilating entire people and ending all freedoms.

Billy Bragg, set to visit Barking Abbey School with LMHR tomorrow, has an article in today's Guardian G2 section talking about music and politics, Rock Against Racism and LMHR.

As white supremacists plan a three-day gathering to be held in the greater Portland area from October 5 – 7, community members and anti-racists throughout the Pacific Northwest will gather in response on what is scheduled to be Day Two of the “Hammerfest” hate festival. An anti-racist community gathering and rally will take place on October 6, starting at 1PM in Lents Park located on SE 92nd & Holgate. The rally intends to expose white supremacist groups in the Northwest, as well as to bring diverse communities together in a stand against fascist organizing and violence aimed at Jewish people and people of color, sexual minorities, and activists.