Catalogue Number
NMLH.2024.70.2
Object Name
leaflet
Title
'Rock Against Racism'
People
Rock Against Racism (RAR)
Description
A black and white printed leaflet. One side has the Rock Against Racism logo (a star inside a circle, with the group name written inside it) and shows a crowd at a gig, with text over the top of the picture. The other side has the title 'Gig Guide' and a few small photos of gigs, alongside columns of text, and the subtitle 'Smash race hate in '78'.
This leaflet was produced by the anti-racist, anti-fascist pop culture activist group Rock Against Racism (RAR). One side provides information about the group's formation and reason for being, including the words 'We thought it about time that we stood up to be counted as anti-racists and that rock music stood up with us'. On the other side it provides details on how to organise your own DIY RAR gig including considerations around security, publicity, band choices and even how to get local discos to help with sound systems. This highlights how grassroots the organisation intended to be - anyone could send away for this leaflet and potentially organise their own gig, under the RAR banner rather than them being centrally organised or approved.
Rock Against Racism (RAR) was formed by anti-fascist activists in response to celebrities like David Bowie and Eric Clapton making racist remarks in public that made fascism sound appealing. This caused concern as they were highly influential with their young fan bases. In response, RAR began hosting gigs, and larger carnivals in London and Manchester to urge young people to reject racist fascist politics, and to provide spaces where Black and white people could mix, united by their love of music. In response to the Summer 2024 racist riots, Rock Against Racism has relaunched and is planning a series of concerts.
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