Love Music Hate Racism Explained

Love Music Hate Racism
Headquarters:United Kingdom
Type:Anti-racism music campaign

Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) is a music-oriented antiracism campaign based in Britain. The campaign aims to bring people together and promote unity through the power of music. LMHR was born in the tradition of the Rock Against Racism (RAR) movement of the late 1970s.[1] [2] [3] The campaign held many successful festivals in the early 2000s such as a Victoria Park carnival and at Stoke Britannia Stadium, at which tens of thousands of people attended and international artists performed.

It is closely associated with Unite Against Fascism (UAF)/Stand Up To Racism (SUTR), the successors of the Anti-Nazi League (ANL); ANL co-founder Paul Holborow described LMHR, UAF and SUTR as "stand[ing] in [the ANL's] tradition."[4]

Organisation

LMHR is a broad based campaign made up of antiracism campaigners, musicians, music industry professionals and educators. It has local groups in towns and cities around Britain. Its current spokespeople include Atlantic Records VP Paul Samuels,[5] and in the past have included its convener and national organiser Martin Smith[2] [6] [7] [8] and Zak Cochrane.

History

LMHR was set up in 2002 in response to the perceived increase in support for the far right British National Party.[9] [10] The first big LMHR concert was a festival in Manchester's Platt Fields Park, headlined by Doves and Ms. Dynamite.

Over the years it has gained the support of several acts in the UK of varying genres, including rock acts such as Ed Sheeran,[11] Pete Doherty[12] and Blood Red Shoes,[13] grime acts like Roll Deep[14] and Lowkey,[15] punk rock acts like the King Blues, and jazz musicians like Courtney Pine.[16] Due to this breadth and due to the organisation's belief that society's diversity is reflected in music, most LMHR concerts include several music genres.[16]

In October 2007 LMHR ran a campaign in the music magazine, NME.[17] In December 2007 the campaign announced that it would mark the 30th anniversary of the RAR/ANL carnival and procession with a similar event in Victoria Park on 27 April 2008.[18] [2]

The singer Morrissey donated money to the organisation in 2007 and again in 2008 to enable its Victoria Park event to go ahead,[19] [7] although in 2010 LMHR spokesperson Martin Smith said it would no longer accept his donations after he made an allegedly racist comment about Chinese people.[20] [21]

In 2018, John McDonnell, Diane Abbott, Kate Osamor and other prominent figures signed a statement calling for support for the organisation, alongside its sibling organisations Unite Against Fascism and Stand Up To Racism.[22]

Love Music Hate Racism is launching a campaign called '#BeautifulResistance' to run for a fortnight between 8–22 March 2019 involving co-ordinated activities across the music industry including music labels, promoters, venues, music press, festivals, footballers, artists, managers and more.[23]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fox . Killian . Rock Against Racism: the Syd Shelton images that define an era . The Guardian. 6 September 2015 . 27 February 2019.
  2. Web site: New bands team up to fight racism . BBC . 25 April 2008 . 27 February 2019.
  3. Web site: Did music fight racism? . BBC News . 24 April 2008 . 27 February 2019.
  4. Web site: How the Anti Nazi League beat back the fascists . Socialist Worker (Britain) . 10 August 2018 . 27 February 2019.
  5. News: British record labels join campaign against far-right movement. Gayle. Damien. 2019-03-15. The Guardian. 2019-04-26. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  6. Web site: The music of racist hate . SocialistWorker.org . 16 August 2012 . 27 February 2019.
  7. Web site: Morrissey's "big mouth" silent on apartheid . The Electronic Intifada . 13 July 2012 . 27 February 2019.
  8. Web site: Smith . Viv . Worker . Socialist . Thousands march against racism . Socialist Worker (Britain) . 9 November 2010 . 27 February 2019.
  9. Web site: About Us. 26 January 2017. lovemusichateracism.com. 27 February 2019.
  10. "AGENDA: Love Music, Hate Racism, be Kind to 40-Something Men." Birmingham Post, 21 Aug 2008, p. 9. ProQuest. Web. 10 December 2019 .
  11. Web site: Levine . Nick . Stormzy, Ed Sheeran and more back the 'Love Music Hate Racism' campaign . NME . 15 March 2017 . 27 February 2019.
  12. Web site: Gregory. Jason. Pete Doherty to Headline Love Music Hate Racism Festival. GigWise.com. 22 May 2009.
  13. Web site: Stars Come Out in Support of Brighton and Sussex Anti-Racism Campaign. Love Music Hate Racism. 9 April 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20110814075701/http://lovemusichateracism.com/2009/04/stars-come-out-in-support-of-brighton-and-sussex-anti-racist-campaign/. 14 August 2011. dead.
  14. Herbert, Ian. "Thirty Years After Rock Against Racism, a New Generation of Bands Confronts Rise of the BNP: First Edition
  15. Web site: RAPPER LOWKEY SAYS "WE DONT WANT THEM" – BRAND NEW TRACK ON ITUNES NOW IN AID OF LMHR. Love Music Hate Racism. 6 July 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20120511114241/http://lovemusichateracism.com/2009/07/rapper-lowkey-says-we-dont-want-them-brand-new-track-on-itunes-now-in-aid-of-lmhr/. 11 May 2012. dead.
  16. Web site: Billet. Alexander. A clarion call for the movement. SocialistWorker.org. 17 September 2010.
  17. Web site: Stormzy, Ed Sheeran and more back the 'Love Music Hate Racism' campaign. Nick. Levine. 15 March 2017. NME. 27 February 2019.
  18. Web site: Love Music Hate Racism » Blog Archive » MAJOR LMHR CARNIVAL IN LONDON’S VICTORIA PARK TO MARK ROCK AGAINST RACISM 30th ANNIVERSARY. lovemusichateracism.com. 27 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20080808112741/http://www.lovemusichateracism.com/news/2007/12/17/the-lmhr-rock-against-racism-30th-anniversary-carnival/. 8 August 2008. dead.
  19. News: Michaels . Sean . Morrissey donates £28,000 to show he really hates racism . The Guardian. 28 April 2008 . 27 February 2019. Morrissey donated a reported £28,000 and persuaded his management, booking agency and promoters to chip in another £45,000 after one of the festival's major sponsors pulled out. Event organisers Martin Smith and Lee Billingham said they were "extremely grateful" for Morrissey's "generous financial contribution"..
  20. Web site: Singer Morrissey branded racist after calling Chinese 'subhuman' . Digital Journal . 4 September 2010 . 27 February 2019.
  21. News: Topping . Alexandra . Morrissey reignites racism row by calling Chinese a 'subspecies' . The Guardian. 3 September 2010 . 27 February 2019.
  22. Web site: Tengely-Evans . Tomáš . Updated- unity statement backs mobilisations against racism and the far right . Socialist Worker (Britain) . 11 September 2018 . 27 February 2019.
  23. Web site: Love Music Hate Racism announces Beautiful Resistance campaign. www.musicweek.com. 27 February 2019.

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