Love Music Hate Racism

Just a few weeks ago the first batch of Rotherham carnival tickets sold out within just three hours, now Love Music Hate Racism is glad to announce that the next batch of tickets will go on sale to local residents in ROTHERHAM and SHEFFIELD. Only 1000 more tickets will be available to locals in person on Saturday 12th July. There also very limited quantities of tickets available this weekend in BARNSLEY, CHESTERFIELD and DONCASTER Check inside for more important details!

East Midlands Unite Against Fascism have called a protest against a fascist rally organised by the BNP in Derbyshire on Saturday August 16th. Despite significant local opposition - including the withdrawal of a premises (alcohol & music) licence by the local authority and police - the BNP are going ahead with their Nazi rally in the Derbyshire countryside. In previous years, BNP members were secretly filmed by BBC documentary makers singing Nazi marching songs at the event. UAF are calling on every organisation and individual opposed the BNP's attempt to hold an event aimed at stirring up race hate to protest near the rally site at Denby Lane, Codnor, Derbyshire from 9am on Sat 16th August. For a map of the protest location see http://tinyurl.com/6f8vck. More details of the protest will be released shortly.

There was an excellent, diverse and loud turnout for Saturday's LMHR/UAF demonstration and carnival parade against racism and fascism. The event is a great start in building a year-long campaign to stop the BNP gaining success in next year's Euro elections. There were LMHR and UAF groups from around the country, scores of trade union banners, and musicians present included John McClure from Reverend and the Makers, Babyshambles' Drew McConnell, UK-Iraqi rapper LowKey, Birmingham "grime theatre" group Decypher Collective, The Priscillas, The Thirst, Mecca 2 Medina, Stoke's own ska outfit Skalinski, and DJ Rugrat whipped up a storm on the decks. For photos from the day check out our flickr site, and there is also video from the day to watch - click the title of this item to have a look. Thanks to all who helped organise the event, and in particular the trade unions who sponsored it and turned out members and leaders to speak.

Top musicians, and political, religious, lesbian and gay and faith group leaders willl join thousands of other people from across the country on Saturday's LMHR/Unite Against Facism "Stop the Fascist BNP" march and parade. Babyshambles, Reverend & The Makers, Mecca 2 Medina, The Paddingtons, Adelaide McKenzie and many more will march and perform, while speakers include the TUC's Frances O'Grady, Unite union leader Derek Simpson, film director Gurdinder Chadha, CWU postal workers' leader Billy Hayes, John McDonnell MP, Mark Serwotka leader of civil service union PCS, Claude Moraes MEP, Dr Abdul Bari of the Muslim Council of Britain, and many others. For a PDF route map of the march and parade click the title of this email.

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.

There was a huge response to the initial tickets for the 6th September LMHR Rotherham Carnival going on sale on Saturday, with music fans and anti-racists forming queues early, and many signing up to get more involved in LMHR and Unite Against Fascism and to come on next weekend's national demonstration. A further batch will be on sale in person to locals in the near future, following which (probably in early July) tickets will go on general sale and online. Watch this space over the next couple of days for more info.

Coaches are being booked from around the country for the national LMHR/Unite Against Fascism demonstration and carnival parade in London on Saturday 21st June. Campaigners from areas with sitting fascist BNP councillors are among them - including Stoke-on-Trent, Burnley and Rotherham. The event will be a national show of unity against the Nazis which will boost anti-fascists and launch year-long sustained local anti-BNP campaigns in the run up to next year's European Parliament elections. Click the title of this item for more details - and let us know of any other coaches planned.

John McClure aka The Reverend has curated a stellar line-up of top, largely Yorkshire-based artists, as a response to the fascist BNP winning two council seats in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. The mega-gig takes place at Rotherham's Magna venue on Saturday 6th September with acts confirmed so far including Reverend & the Makers, Roll Deep, The Courteeners and Mongrel (who are The Reverend, ex-Arctic Monkey Andy Nicholson, Drew McConnell of Babyshambles and LowKey). Many more exciting names are still to come as soon as they can be officially announced. The mega-gig takes place at Rotherham's Magna venue on Saturday 6th September. An initial batch of 3,000 tickets will go on sale THIS weekend (Sat 14th) to local (Sheffield, Rotherham or Barnley) based residents. Special box offices will be open from 11am to 3pm for people to buy tickets at £10 on a cash-only basis (maximum 4 per person). After that, they will be on sale via the national LMHR website. On Saturday tickets go on sale at All Saints Centre, Vicarage Lane, Rotherham (in the Minster courtyard) and St Matthew’s Church Rooms, Carver Street, Sheffield (off Division St).

Momentum is building for the June 21st national demonstration against racism and fascism in London. Leading figures from every community threatened by the fascist BNP, as well as cultural icons and grassroots campaigners are coming together to oppose the Nazis. Pete Doherty, a long-time suporter of LMHR, said: "There will be no passage of evil through these isles without a proper, good struggle. This island has always been a melting pot and personally I am 100% mongrel in the great dog stew of history. Bona fide scouse, London Irish, Jew, Geordie, BiloRussian. Closed borders are like closed minds. What of humanity's horizons? How infinite are they or how barricaded are they? Racism is upon us and let us not forget it is still within living memory that six million people died in gas chambers because of a hateful ideology." Gurinder Chadha, celebrated Director of films like Bend it Like Beckham, said: "Britain is a fantastic place made up of a wonderful mix of people. There is no room in our society for small-minded, small-thinking, racist people. That is why I'm supporting the march on the 21st" Diane Abbott MP said: "The BNP are a Party of xenophobia, racism, homophobia and sexism. But their election to the Greater London Authority in May shows that they are capable of fooling ordinary people into believing they stand for a better Britain. The only way to beat the BNP is to show people that the BNP's vision for Britain would take us back to the dark ages. We must reach out and encourage all communities to use their voice and their vote to protect multi-cultural Britain. Ben Summerskill of gay rights group Stonewall said: "Less than three years after Jody Dobrowski was kicked to death in London just for being gay, no one should forget that extremism still thrives unless it's challenged. Decent people should stand shoulder to shoulder to prevent extremists from terrorizing Britain's minority communities."