Fontaines D.C., Nadine Shah, IDLES and more sign Love Music Hate Racism statement
A number of musicians have signed a statement initiated by antiracist campaign group Love Music Hate Racism condemning the week of violence which began in Southport on the 30 July.
The campaigning began after three children were murdered during a stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event.
The statement points to far-right misinformation as the spark for the riots but acknowledges that the racist violence has not occurred in a vacuum. It argues that "politicians and the media" must share a section of the blame for "fostering a climate where racist and Islamophobic discourse has become a feature of mainstream politics."
Fontaines D.C. IDLES, Enter Shikari, Nubya Garcia, Nova Twins, Frank Turner, and Nadine Shah are among the statement's signatories. The statement goes on to highlight the positive community response to the far-right violence, with a "reported 25,000 people joining antifascist protests on Wednesday 7 August in across the country" and a similar number attending further protests on Saturday 10 August. "At least 8,000 were on the streets in Walthamstow in London, 7,000 in Bristol and 2,000 in Brighton," they wrote.
Love Music Hate Racism is an antiracist campaign founded in 2002 to challenge the Nazi British National Party (BNP) and later the English Defence League (EDL). It is the successor organisation to Rock Against Racism, the cultural movement of the late 1970s, which sought to use music as a way of uniting communities against the hatred and division fostered by the far-right.
"It is now more important than ever that music is at the heart of a united cultural movement which will ward off the threat of the far-right and strengthen communities damaged by the corrosive effects of racism. Music reflects the beautiful eclectic mix of our communities. Join us in building a movement that celebrates that: Love Music Hate Racism," they write.
Love Music Hate Racism is working on a show in central London at the start of next month and coordinated events in towns and cities across Britain to help spread hope and unite communities. For more information, visit lovemusichateracism.com.
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