We are a proudly independent campaign however, this means we are largely self-funding, with the extent of the work we can do depending on fundraising events, and on sponsorship and individual membership and donations.
Last weekend saw the second annual Freedom Festival take place in Hull with free cultural and sporting events taking place across the city. During Saturday daytime a massive outdoor Love Music Hate Racism event was staged in city centre green space Queen’s Gardens, organised by LMHR and local youth project The Warren, with support from Hull City Council. More than 20,000 people attended through the course of the LMHR show.
The eclectic lineup featured local acts earlier in the day, from traditional Kurdish group Shanga Band to excellent local singer-songwriter Abbie Lammas. Top hull band The Paddingtons – veterans of more than half a dozen LMHR shows and responsible for originally introducting the campaign to the city – kicked off the later part of the show with a storming set. Chart-topping grime-pop star Chipmunk was next on, much to the delight of the thousands of young people at the front who’d chanted his name for the previous two hours. Chipmunk split the crowd into two halves chanting “Love Music – Hate Racism” through his set. Closing the LMHR show were brilliant political punks the King Blues, whose angry and passionate tunes went down a storm. Lead singer Itch told the crowd how inspired he was inspired to see thousands in a largely white, working-class audience singing along to anti-racist slogans, and congratulated UAF on the fantastic mobilisation against the Nazis in Harrow the previous day to loud cheers… [pics to follow!]
Love Music Hate Racism is urging all musicians and music fans to contact the BBC in protest at their invitation of BNP leader Nick Griffin onto their flagship politics programme; Question Time. The BNP are a party of racist and homophobic thugs who pose as a legitimitate political organisation, their members have been convicted of violent attacks and harressment with Griffin himself being a convicted holocaust denier.
• Sign the UAF statement by sending an email marked “Question Time” to unite@ucu.org.uk
• Complain to the BBC by phoning 03700 100 222 or online at http://bit.ly/bbccomplaints
• Join the Facebook group protesting at the BBC decision at http://bit.ly/0909uaffb
• Take the UAF petition round your workplace or community: http://bit.ly/0909uafqt
