Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Police 'raid halts discos' - Wearside 1979
Wednesday, December 08, 2021
Compilations against the Criminal Justice Act
Notice of compilation from Earzone zine |
'About the Freedom Network' article from Earzone, with contact addresses of various anti-CJA grops from Football Fans Against the CJA to the Hunt Saboteurs Association [I have Taking Liberties and NRB:58 on cassette. I have never heard the other two compilations though familiar with some of the bands/tracks. Intrigued in particular by the Malcolm McLaren contributions to Criminal Justice!, would like to listen to them if anybody can help me out. Thanks to nobrightside for Earzone pictures] |
Marching against the CJA, July 1994
Eternity report of July 1994 anti-CJA demo
Revolt of the Ravers – The Movement against the Criminal Justice Act in Britain 1993-95
Friday, November 26, 2021
British Hip Hop Championships 1985
Flyer for first 'National Hip Hop Championships' at the Rok Rok Club at Brixton Recreation Centre, 'the freshest most awesome place to be'. Two heats and a final in July/August 1985 with rapping, scratching, breaking and popping. Organised by British Hip Hop Alliance (184 Brixton Road) for ‘people interested in scratch DJing, Breaking, Graffiti, Rapping and related performance arts’.
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
William Scott at Studio Voltaire (En Vogue in Clapham)
Friday, November 19, 2021
Gender Autonomy Now
Monday, November 08, 2021
Dancing in London in the Second World War
Dancing Times, March 1943 |
Dancing Times, March 1943 Dancing Times, April 1945 - prices have gone up! |
Dancing Times, December 1942 |
Tuesday, November 02, 2021
'Freedom of Movement': Anti Fascist Action on the dancefloor 1993
Report on Freedom of Movement from Fighting Talk (Anti Fascist Action), no.7, 1994 |
A write up of Freedom of Movement in i-D magazine, December 1993 |
Norman Jay in anti-fascist t-shirt |
Saturday, October 30, 2021
Rosaleen Norton: Dance of Life
'Individuation' by Rosaleen Norton |
'In the spiral horns of the Ram,
In the deep ascent of midnight,
In the dance of atoms weaving the planes of matter is Life.
Life spins on the dream of a planet,
Life leaps in the lithe precision of the cat,
Life flames in the thousandth Name,
Life laughs in the thing that is ‘I’.
I live in the green blood of the forest,
I live in the white fire of Powers,
I live in the scarlet blossom of Magic,
I live'
(Dance of Life by Roslaeen Norton)
In this case the accused was asked why 'despite police warnings she was still consorting with homosexuals'. She was said to have been to a Black Mass conducted by Rosaleen Norton, and to have explained to court that 'although she had some other clothes she preferred to wear black - "the sign of the witch cult"'. She was sent to jail for 2 months for vagrancy with 'recommended psychiatric treatment'' (full article here) |
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Refugees are Welcome - rally in London
A good turn out in London's Parliament Square last week (Wednesday 20th October 2021) for the Refugees Welcome rally organised by Solidarity with Refugees and others. The event highlighted opposition to the Government's anti-Refugee 'Nationality and Borders Bill' making its way through Parliament.
'"nikt nie jest nielegalny" ('No one is illegal' in Polish) |
'POMOC - Polish Migrants Organise for Change'/'Solidarity knows no borders' |
'Afghans beyond borders' |
'Social workers without borders' |
Appeals to human rights and compassion cut very little ice with the Government and its supporters, paradoxically neither do economic arguments about migration and labour shortages seem to matter to the party of business. This is a theatre of cruelty in which being seen to be harsh to migrants (as well as other folk devils such as travellers and climate protestors) is deliberately performed as a means of solidifying its reactionary political base. The continuing arrival of migrants via the Channel has shown that the Brexit fantasy of cutting off island Britain from the world and returning to some imagined 1950s theme park cannot be realised - the anti-refugee bill is an expression of this rage against reality.
Little Amal in London
There have been other positive gatherings in the last week to welcome 'Little Amal', the puppet of a young refugee that has made its way across Europe from the Turkey/Syria border. I went down to Deptford last Friday (22/10/21) where thousands of people, including lots of excited school kids, crowded the streets for Amal's arrival in London (see report at Transpontine).
As described by the projects Artistic Director, Amir Nizar Zuabi: “It is because the attention of the world is elsewhere right now that it is more important than ever to reignite the conversation about the refugee crisis and to change the narrative around it. Yes, refugees need food and blankets, but they also need dignity and a voice. The purpose of The Walk is to highlight the potential of the refugee, not just their dire circumstances. Little Amal is 3.5 metres tall because we want the world to grow big enough to greet her. We want her to inspire us to think big and to act bigger.”
'Disco against fascism' badge from wedogooddisco |
'Migration is not a crime' says Paddington - bag from Migration Museum stall in Deptford |