Rock Against Racism

RAR flyer from 2018

The colorful pseudoscience
Race & Racialism

Hating thy neighbour

* Racism
* Racial pride
* Nationalism

Divide and conquer

* Black brute
* Gab
* Nippon Kaigi
* Subjekt.no
* Restart

Dog-whistlers

* Jeff Rense
* Marian Van Court
* Andrew Johnson
* Robert Jeffress
* Karl Marx

v \- t \- e

Rock Against Racism was a British anti-racist campaign that raised awareness for its cause by staging rock concerts.

RAR was originally conceived by Red Saunders and Roger Huddle as a one-off concert, but nothing came of the idea until August 1976 when Eric Clapton drunkenly praised Enoch Powell. Saunders, Huddle and two members of Kartoon Klowns[note 1] responded with a letter to New Musical Express announcing the launch of the Rock Against Racism movement and calling for collaborators; Huddle since claimed that they received hundreds of letters in reply. RAR was ultimately part of a broader anti-racism movement (its frequent partner, the Anti-Nazi League, was founded in 1977) that grew up in response to the National Front.[1]

The first RAR carnival was held in 1978.[2] The campaign prompted a backlash from the white power music scene, which launched Rock Against Communism in response.

At the time, Roger Huddle was working for the Socialist Workers Party as a graphic designer. The SWP was closely involved with RAR, allowing its PO box and print shop to be used by the campaign.[3]

The original incarnation of RAR gradually faded away during the eighties, although an arguable successor -- Love Music Hate Racism -- was set up in 2002 following the elections of BNP councillers in Burnley.[2]

## See also[edit]

* Stop Murder Music

## Notes[edit]

1. ↑ Exactly who or what Kartoon Klowns were appears to have been largely forgotten.

## References[edit]

1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040627165515/http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=8931
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20051226071352/http://www.dkrenton.co.uk/rock_against_racism.html
3. ↑ Andy Beckett, "When the Lights Went Out: Britain in the Seventies", Faber & Faber, 2009, pp. 449-50.

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