Good news for fans of, erm, racism. Rise, the annual mini-festival organized by the Mayor Of London's office, is dropping its tagline "London United Against Racism" and will instead position itself as a more wishy washy celebration of diversity. The change, which has come about because of the appointment of new mayor Boris Johnson, is obviously an attempt to make the event less confrontational, and a less open admission that racism is a problem in London, instead focusing on the multi-cultural nature of the capital, and saying that is a good thing. It is arguably a subtle change, though those that fear the continued rise of the BNP in local councils reckon a more explicit rejection of racism is important, and in many ways the whole point of the Rise event existing. It is also why many artists play at the event for reduced fees - and some wonder whether those already booked to play, including CMU favourites CSS, Jimmy Cliff, The Dub Pistols, Kitty Daisy And Lewis and Trojan Soundsystem - will be happy with the repositioning of the 13 Jul Finsbury Park gig so late in the day.
Jun 18, 2008
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1 min read
Rise repositions away from overtly anti-racism message
The Mayor of London's Rise event is dropping its 'London United Against Racism' tagline in favour of a broader celebration of diversity.