About a year ago, singer Lisa Moorish told me how the BNP were skulking around in deprived areas of Britain handing out white power CDs to schoolchildren. At the time I said something like, "That stuff never really happens in the real world and it'd be better if we just ignored it because giving people like the BNP press only makes them stronger, etc etc." I'm pretty embarrassed about that little speech now, not only because Lisa's a committee member of the Love Music Hate Racism organisation (who are joining forces with NME and NUT to release a CD to raise awareness), but because of two other very serious things.
Firstly, I discovered the BNP are actually distributing their CDs in deprived areas, like West Yorkshire and the Midlands, which are often racially segregated and suffering from high unemployment. Neglected by central government, places like Keighley West in Bradford are where the BNP and its leader Nick Griffin do most of their evil-doings, attempting to recruit poor young mites with dads put out of work by the Polish next door with the lure of exciting-sounding WHITE POWER! CDs.
Here's the second reason: the CDs they're giving out free at school gates are so awful and they make Ashlee Simpson, Scouting For Girls and Pigeon Detectives sound like blissful, warm ocean waves.
The big BNP-sponsored album at the moment is called West Wind. It's a Various Artists album that ranges from creepy, middle-aged white guys doing folk rock songs about the glory of white people to creepy, middle-aged white guys doing heavy rock songs about the glory of white people being long forgotten.
The title, according to Griffin, comes from the fact that "there's obviously four winds and each of the three are bringing something evil into this land and the West Wind represents our people and our resistance to those evils."
What? Is this the 15th century? Who exactly is to blame? Polish witches who cast evil Turkish spells on whites by making Chinese curry out of African frogs? What are they talking about?
West Wind is made up of contributions from extreme right-wingers from the provinces singing songs based around lyrics written by Nick Griffin. They moan about corner shops, terrorism, the IRA, immigration and, in one particularly grating song called Forgotten, about how the media doesn't talk enough about the white people being killed in Iraq. Er, don't we have regular updates every week?
These BNP supporters who are giving out these CDs to our children are so far removed from the reality of the "real facts of white England" they make Skrewdriver seem like a sophisticated, all-lesbian terrorist group from Olympia, Washington.
So, this one goes out to all people with brains, ears and hearts; if you're not into 1970s, extremely backward, right-wing views or terrible music that makes the new Jonathan King album sound like good vibes, then you must do everything you can to support the Love Music Hate Racism cause. You may have to sit through some bangra-jazz-fusion-grime-indie-collaboration or something involving Hard-Fi for a bit, but making the world a better place is all about sacrifices. Is that too much to ask?
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LMHR
October 20, 2007
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3 comments:
While i agree with the sentiments posted, and i also fully support that we should challenge the bnp in every way possible.
I believe that LMHR have made a mistake in this CD by including Babyshambles.....they have read the public wrong.
I know im of the wrong age group, and to me a lot of the recordings now could be described as "music to cut your throat by". but in this case its not about the music its about LMHR using Pete Doherty to promote their message, LMHR have a strong and true message to send out to all young people they dont need someone like Pete Doherty, parents seeing this will throw up their hands in horror. and the BNP have already zeroed in on this and are holding LMHR up to ridicule.
It was in my view a wrong choice, they were badly advised and to retain any credibility LMHR need to dump Doherty now before anymore damage is done.
There are plenty of bands and solo singers that would promote their message in a far more positive and acceptable way than Doherty and LMHR need to recognise and deal with it now.
Okay, that's a point about drugs, but the issue discussed here is about racism. Let's stick to the topic, please. Whether or not you are a Nazi troll pretending to dislike the BNP while doing your damnedest to undermine the hard-working efforts of anti-racist music campaigners, you can hardly give the BNP's hate sound bandwagon credence by pointing to the drug habit of one single performer at past LMHR gigs.
What about pots and kettles. How come many of the supposed party of law and order sell crack cocaine and heroin (see the BNP's list of convicted criminals in its ranks including drug dealers and gangsters? Pete Dougherty might have used drugs, but he wasn't a dealer.
The BNP's white supremacist music is so dire, no-wonder they are giving it away. Who the hell would go out and buy such crap?
Cromie and Auty are so untuneful, they must be tone deaf.
Griffin and co are such a joke!
pots and kettles said........whether or not you are a nazi troll prestending to dislike the bnp.
Let me state on record i am not a nazi troll, and i dont pretend nothing, i hate and loath the bnp. but i also hate and loath drugs and the damage it does to young people and families.
By allowing Pete Doherty name to be linked to this i believe that LMHR have left themselves open to criticism, yes you are right Doherty has never been charged with dealing drugs, as have members of the nazi party, but the press and publicity around his drug fueled antics are an almost weekly read.
So no im not a nazi, im just very anti drugs, and very anti promoting anyone like Doherty who obviously thinks his kind of behvious is acceptable to all.
I am i believe entitled to an opinion.
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