Synopsis
Exploring how punk influenced politics in late-1970s Britain, when a group of artists united to take on the National Front, armed only with a fanzine and a love of music.
White Riot
2019 Directed by Rubika Shah
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”We were ordinary anti-racist citizens”
Love music / Hate racism
This modern-day doc takes a nostalgic look back at the late 70’s grassroots English efforts to defeat the NF and spread a message of unity. Centered around the Rock Against Racism movement and their fanzine “Temporary Hoarding” this film is packed with some great archival footage and interviews, both old and new.
Being pretty ignorant on this piece of history, I found the information interesting, informative and enraging. However, if I’m being absolutely honest, my favorite part was the bangin’ soundtrack and old-school concert footage.
The saddest thing is, that as retro as all this looks, the topic is still 100% relative to our society today…. Perhaps this should serve as an inspirational call for history to repeat itself, and that we’re in desperate need of a modern-day Clash of our own!
”…just ordinary people.
We can do things
We can change the world” -
Eric Clapton, onstage, 1976 [full comments here]:
Do we have any foreigners in the audience tonight? If so, please put up your hands... So where are you? Well wherever you all are, I think you should all just leave. Not just leave the hall, leave our country... I don’t want you here, in the room or in my country. I think we should send them all back. Stop Britain from becoming a black colony. Get the foreigners out. Get the wogs out. Get the coons out. Keep Britain white!
In response to this, David Bowie stating the United Kingdom was ready for a fascist leader, and Rod Stewart saying "This country is overcrowded. The immigrants should be sent back home,"…
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White Riot is a fascinating documentary which serves as an examination of how punk influenced politics during the late-nineteen-seventies. It focuses on the Rock Against Racism movement which emerged in 1976, provoked predominantly by Eric Clapton speaking out against heightening immigration and expressing his support for Conservative politician and white supremacist Enoch Powell.
Director Rubika Shah prudently combines the archival footage with contemporary interviews with the key players to inform the documentary as it accounts a group of artists joining together to take on the racialist and abhorrent National Front. It's as much about the energy and strength of solidarity as the tensions of discrimination and is a wondrous assemblage of music, politics, history and animation.
The rare footage of…
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A solid visual companion piece to Walls Come Tumbling Down, Daniel Rachel's brilliant book about music and politics in the UK in the latter stages of the twentieth century. White Riot is never less than a thoroughly entertaining look at Rock Against Racism and the antifa movement of the late 1970s. However I am surprised to learn that what looks and feels like a traditional Friday night BBC4 music documentary gained a cinematic release. Appearing on Sky Arts a couple of Fridays ago is clearly its natural environment and is arguably best enjoyed as such.
Kudos for the film to conclude with captions that commemorate the success of RAR but advise caution that the war is far from over. Racism…
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A wonderfully constructed documentary. The music is brilliant of course but the film is insightful and shocking. A lot of the rhetoric we hear today is reminiscent of the racism and xenophobia documented in this movie. The idea of music bringing people together, at least for a short time is heartening especially when the world seems like a shitshow.
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Luve me Punk
Luv me Reggae
Luv me Anarchists
Luv me Diverse Britain
Luv me Tom Robinson
Luv me RAR
Luv me the Clash‘Ate me racists
‘Ate me fascists
‘Ate me National Front
‘Ate me Eric Clapton (Racist muck)
‘Ate me Skin’eads
Ate me David Bowie (don’t mind his music; just don’t like ‘em)Simple as
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Love Music - Hate Racism
Interesting and fascinating insight into the Rock Against Racism movement of the late 70's, accompanied by superb music and interviews.
"Everyone thought all Skinheads were nazis, which, of course, was utter rubbish, they weren't!"
Highly recommended ☝️
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"We're against racism in all facets of British life, we're not just interested in the fight against the National Front, we're interested in the fight against racism in British Society, the all round British family racism."
"Our job was to peel away the Union Jack to reveal the swastika."
Seems like an appropriate time for a documentary about the founding of Rock Against Racism which was founded in response to the rise of the National Front, who were parading in the streets with the help of the police.
Appropriate not only because of the ugly shadow of nationalist political groups which have been on the rise again in recent years, but because the person whose works were a trigger for…
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Another doc about a subject we're seeing a lot of again today: shitty nazis. This film is a nice look at the power of the combined forces of community, activism, and music. Bonus points for tons of great punk and roots reggae music throughout.
VOTE.
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A bit of a messy start. It was a little confusing. But by the second half was good. Some Nice aesthetic features. Sometimes a little off though. But it all felt like a film made by good people who want to tell their story and also a nostalgic look at life then. But not over the top with the nostalgia, much more realistic.
Oh and btw Eric Clapton big boo too you. -
A documentary about the rise of the Rock Against Racism movement in the late seventies sounds as though it ought to be a joyful, uplifting 80 minutes. But for the most part, it's the complete opposite: a depressing, bleak account of how the National Front became a very real, dangerous and ultimately murderous cult in London and elsewhere in the UK. The vast amount of archive footage of the NF's leaders, street demos, speeches, policy documents and racist graffiti is upsetting, and the only form of relief comes in knowing that, even though Britain is in a pretty crap state 40+ years later, the NF's successors are less well-organised and much smaller in numbers.
That rise of fascism in the…
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Anti racist punk documentary directed by a woman of colour, delicious.
There was some footage in this that i’d never seen before that made my heart beat very fast. The footage of the fans and youth being interviewed was particularly fantastic, with an insight into black, asian, and gay struggles that are just as relevant today. It’s honestly pretty awful that the police relationship to abuse against minorities in 1979 remains identical to what we see today, with a supposedly equal modern Britain hiding slurs and deep engrained prejudice behind empty words of solidarity. Hearing of these people being called p*kis and witnessing the use of those words around in primary school, or being referred to as chinky, with little…