Folk Against Fascism, keeping the BNP out of folk music Options

[Lillian Bellamy]

Well, I kind of started this campaign by accident. I thought, you know, a few stickers, a little awareness-raising...

In little over a week the facebook group has gained 2800 members. There are plans for events, concerts, various things in the pipeline.


Karl Dallas's piece sums up the ideas behind the campaign pretty well: Morning Star piece today

"Now, the nazis' British admirer the British National Party is trying to emulate its predecessors and hijack our own folk traditions. It is encouraging its members to appropriate British folk music, customs and culture as a means of spreading its racist policies. The BNP is selling traditional music through its Excalibur merchandising arm despite the protestations of many of the artists included, who find its policies abhorrent.

The BNP Activists and Organisers Handbook trumpets: "We have had some major successes, for example, with local groups set up to encourage the celebration of St George's Day.

"Fun activities for children and families which are linked to our Christian heritage - such as Pace Egging in many northern towns - are particularly suitable candidates for revival as popular awareness of the growing power of Islam encourages support for and interest in our own religious and cultural traditions.

"Ideally our units will lead their communities in organising, or at least supporting, cultural events such as St George's Day celebrations (April 23). Most regions of the country have cultural events which are unique to that area, or county. For example, Padstow Hobby Horse in Cornwall, Arbor Tree Day in Shropshire, Garland King Day and the Well Dressing in Derbyshire, the Marshfield Mummers in Wiltshire, the Haxey Hood in Humberside, and countless others.

"Why not do some research to see if there's a lost local tradition you can inspire a team of enthusiasts to revive?"

To a certain extent, this is history repeating itself. Rolf Gardiner, an advocate of morris dancing before the war, was an admirer of Hitler and tried to convince Suffragist dancer Mary Neal that women shouldn't be dancing what he believed to be an exclusively male tradition. He failed. Women's morris is now a thriving part of the dance revival.

Nevertheless, any performers who are asked to perform at any St George's Day events next year should ask who is organising or supporting them.

Find out where the money is coming from. Even better, start your own St George's Day event and make it one that actively welcomes all of England's communities. Don't let them win.

Concerned readers should sign up to Folk Against Fascism on Facebook tinyurl.com/newstgeorge. "


And today I took delivery of our first batch of stickers, which are like this:

(IMG:http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs081.snc1/4875_97508796681_721836681_2421456_5050128_n.jpg)


So - onward and upward!

This post has been edited by joaniecrumpet: Jun 18 2009, 12:40 AM

[Beryl the Peril]

bloddy amazing joanie.

billy will be proud of you!

[Lillian Bellamy]

Good - he can take some stickers when I see him on Saturday! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[Jon]

Good work JC.

I had to look up Pace Egging as I've not heard of it before and somehow I can't see old Satelite Eyes being impressed by the blacked up faces (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

Any plans to take it away from Facebook? Maybe a MySpace page too?

[Lillian Bellamy]

Ah, but some would argue that blacking up has its roots in minstrelsy, and the BNP have been known to enjoy singing the old "niggering songs" as part of their rich appreciation of Britain's folk heritage.


FAF Myspace

...and the website is currently being constructed.

This post has been edited by joaniecrumpet: Jun 18 2009, 08:15 AM

[Tanya]

Very cool, Joanie! Well done and good luck!

[TAFKABO]

Brilliant stuff Joanie. Here in Belfast we have some appallling things happening at the moment, I'm trying to work out just how I can be active in combatting it.

[Lillian Bellamy]

yes, it's been discussed on other forums I belong to. Good luck.

[ben'smum]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) That's fab Joanie. BtP did email me the facebook link but I'm not on it. How can we get involved to support the campaign? I'm happy to help through Ben's Morris team etc?
We're off to Shrewsbury Folk Festival in August - Are you?

[Lillian Bellamy]

Shrewsbury is the same weekend as Towersey, unfortunately. I might come over for a day, though.

Remind me - is Ben dancing with Bristol Morris?

Once we're better geared up for distributing merchandise etc, I'll let you know. I think it's really important that morris sides give out the message loud and clear - my own local side has been infiltrated.

[Alberr]

Just to say well done Joannie as I have already said elsewhere but you can't have too much of a good thing ...

[ben'smum]

Shrewsbury is the same weekend as Towersey, unfortunately. I might come over for a day, though.

Remind me - is Ben dancing with Bristol Morris?

Once we're better geared up for distributing merchandise etc, I'll let you know. I think it's really important that morris sides give out the message loud and clear - my own local side has been infiltrated.

No he dances with Ashleys Rise Junior Morris.

http://www.thegreatcaper.co.uk/Ashley'...or%20Morris.htm

When they're 18 they can choose who to dance with, but they have close links with Bristol Rag morris and most of them go up there.

[geoff]

nice one JC!

[Dickie]

Echoing the sentiments above, well done JC.

[Lillian Bellamy]

The FAF launch at Sidmouth Folk Week was a great success. Here is an audio recording made on the day: http://www.archive.org/details/FolkAgainst...kFestAugust2009.

And here is a video of the closing song, Country Life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9GVGI_A5nw

A piece about the launch appeared on The World Tonight on Radio 4 - it's still available for a few more days on Listen Again: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lttsp.

There was also a related news article on the BBC website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8191094.stm

The launch was one of the highlights of Sidmouth Folk Week, with an hour-long concert jam featuring Spiers and Boden, Eliza Carthy, Jim Moray, Dogan Mehmet, Steve Knightley, Pete Coe, Saul Rose, Maclaine Colston and MCd by Paul Sartin. Apart from the political message, which came across loud and clear, it was a bloody great gig!

At the launch, we talked about FAF Week, which will take place from 23 April (St George's Day) through 2 May (okay, slightly more than a week, but it means we can have two full weekends of activity!) We hope to hold a big, high- profile national event during this time, but we'd also like FAFfers all over the country to organise their own gigs, events, fetes, dance-outs, village hall parties, ceilidhs, and whatever else you can think of. These events will not only bring the FAF message to a wider audience in your towns and communities, but will be a positive response to the BNP's stated desire to co-opt the traditional English holidays of St George's Day and May Day.

At the launch we also announced a FAF logo for CD covers, which will allow artists to take a positive stand against their music being appropriated by the BNP. This is something that has been welcomed, and several high-profile folk aritsts are already planning to incorporate it into forthcoming albums.

[Twopints]

JC, did you see that Billy was wearing an FAF T-shirt at the Newport concert? See link in post #4

Newport Folk Festival

[Tanya]

One of the stands at Tolpuddle was selling the t-shirts. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Lillian Bellamy]

yes, the guy from Tolpuddle brought me the ones they didn't sell and we shifted them very quickly at Sidmouth!

I hadn't seen that, Twopints - cheers! Will chuck those uop on the Facebook site. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[ben'smum]

Well Done Joanie!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Where can I get a T shirt? I'd like to wear one to Shrewsbury!

[barkingmad]

Good stuff, and very timely. Eventually got myself signed up (after seeing Jon Boden sporting a sticker on his fiddle at Cambridge FF). Is there any further news of developments?

[Lillian Bellamy]

The next thing is the launch of the website which will have lots of information about upcoming events, downloadable flyers and templates if people want to make their own stickers/t-shirts, and our new on-line shop for merch.

Hoping this will be up before the end of September.