brilliant day in Manchester at the ANL carnival
anti-nazi's | 03.09.2002 17:31
Around 30,000 people, black and white, young and old enjoyed the sun and the bands at the 'Love Music, Hate Racism' Carnival this weekend...
Around 30,000 people, black and white, young and old enjoyed the sun and the bands at the 'Love Music, Hate Racism' Carnival this weekend - the biggest anti-racist event in the North West for two decades.
As the Labour council in Burnley had banned the event from Burnley on the grounds that it wouldn't promote good community relations(!) the carnival was rearranged at short notice to Manchester.
The day started with a spirited march from the city centre which joined the carnival in the early afternoon led by the big delegation from Burnley.
Beautiful weather complemented fine performances from countless acts - big crowd favourites were definitely Heartless Crew, Out Da Ville, the Doves- who played a beautiful acoustic tinged set- and headliner Ms Dynamite who pulled people from the crowd to show their rapping skills from the stage, much to the delight of the crowd. The dance tent was heaving for most of the afternoon pumping out some mad garage and drum and bass to get people's hands in the air and asses dancing!
In between the acts various speakers including Shahid Malik, beaten up by the police in last years riots, spoke of what a brilliant opportunity there now is to build a mass anti-racist movement to get rid of the Nazis - a mass petition, signed by all the acts is to be handed in to Burnley council demanding that they allow a carnival to be held there in the Spring.
A brilliant day of black and white unity and a big fuck you to the Nazis!
As the Labour council in Burnley had banned the event from Burnley on the grounds that it wouldn't promote good community relations(!) the carnival was rearranged at short notice to Manchester.
The day started with a spirited march from the city centre which joined the carnival in the early afternoon led by the big delegation from Burnley.
Beautiful weather complemented fine performances from countless acts - big crowd favourites were definitely Heartless Crew, Out Da Ville, the Doves- who played a beautiful acoustic tinged set- and headliner Ms Dynamite who pulled people from the crowd to show their rapping skills from the stage, much to the delight of the crowd. The dance tent was heaving for most of the afternoon pumping out some mad garage and drum and bass to get people's hands in the air and asses dancing!
In between the acts various speakers including Shahid Malik, beaten up by the police in last years riots, spoke of what a brilliant opportunity there now is to build a mass anti-racist movement to get rid of the Nazis - a mass petition, signed by all the acts is to be handed in to Burnley council demanding that they allow a carnival to be held there in the Spring.
A brilliant day of black and white unity and a big fuck you to the Nazis!
anti-nazi's
e-mail:
anl@anl.org.uk
Homepage:
http://www.anl.org.uk
Comments
Hide the following 6 comments
Nice work
03.09.2002 18:10
Overall, nice work, shame I wasn't there myself, would have been worth it just to see Billy Bragg! Oh well, maybe one day I might actually join the ANL too, it would only cost me a quid, and with all the shit happening up North, the anti-fascist movement (including the ANL) needs all the help it can get...
Thomas J
A curmudgeon writes...
03.09.2002 20:25
As a show of anti-racist strength, yep, no doubt, fair play.
BUT, my problem is- what does it change? I doubt that many of the BNP's core constituency were around, and I'd be surprised if it changed too many minds; it's doubtful, for instance, that many of (the utterly wonderful) Ms. Dynamite's fans were surprised to hear that she's anti-racist.
As an event, it was fine; but to imagine that it did anything to "get rid of the Nazis", as the previous writer suggests, is fanciful; that's only going to be done by grassroots activists in the communities where the fash prosper.
And there is an unfortunate taste of something cynical about it too- given that I don't really believe that the SWP's hierarchy think that the BNP's popularity (or otherwise) is going to be affected one way or another by what happened on Sunday. What they did seem to see it as, unfortunately, was a massive recruiting opportunity, with the unfortunate effect that it sometimes felt a bit like one of the Jesus Army's rallies!
Jay-B
points
03.09.2002 21:42
info-pusher
Fighting fascism wont destroy capitalism!
04.09.2002 08:16
steelgate
Re: Jay-B and steelgate
04.09.2002 11:25
Steelgate: This isn't about fighting/smashing capitalism, it's about preventing a system that is much, much worse from taking hold, fascism. Ideally yes, bring down capitalism, but we are a long way from that, and there are other forces present that want to make the situation much worse, and they need to be stopped.
Peace/solidarity, TJA
Thomas J
stop maoning and get off your asses
05.09.2002 15:00
I didn't say we got rid of the Nazis!
and if you don't think bringing thousands (25000, 26000, 30000 who cares it was lots of people) of people together makes any difference - then tell us what does?
stop whingeing and get off your asses and do something with the ANL or with anyone you want.....
but please do something and son't just contribute to the kind of pessimism that only allows the fascists to grow in the first place.
The young kids at the carnival were REALLY politicised not just about fighting fascism but Anti-Capitalism and oads of other stuff, one bookstall sold over £1500 of books! These kids will definately make a difference in the near future.....be warned BNP your time is up!
anti-nazi