In the early 1970s, the United Kingdom was going through a delicate period. Due to the deep economic crisis, the far right gained strength and popularity in the country, rising with racist and xenophobic rhetoric, proclaiming white supremacy.
In 1974, the fascist National Front party had grown alarmingly and presented as part of its political program the mandatory repatriation of all "non-whites" or "colored" immigrants. Dissatisfied with this scenario, photographer, activist, and alternative theater artist Red Saunders began to think about a response to the ultranationalist movement.
The spark came from music. In August 1976, during a show in Birmingham, rock star Eric Clapton made a public statement of support for former Conservative minister Enoch Powell , who held a deeply anti-immigrant stance. On that occasion, Clapton reportedly said that the United Kingdom was "overpopulated" and that Britons should vote for Powell so that the country would not become a "black colony." The guitarist allegedly stated that the solution would be to "get rid of the foreigners, the blacks and the Creoles" and then began repeatedly chanting the slogan of the British National Front: "Keep Britain white."
Joining forces with some friends, Red Saunders wrote a letter of repudiation to Eric Clapton and sent it to NME , emphasizing that the guitarist's comments were "repugnant," especially considering that part of his success was due to Clapton's cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff. NME readers to help form the Rock Against Racism , and his call received hundreds of responses.
In 1976 and 1977, the movement remained active and growing with small independent shows around the country, featuring names like Carol Grimes and Matumbi , and launching its fanzine Temporary Hoarding. The first major Rock Against Racism took place in 1978, when punks and activists gathered in Trafalgar Square, London, totaling more than 80,000 people. On that occasion, several bands performed in an open-air concert in Victoria Park, such as Steel Pulse , Tom Robinson Band , and X-Ray Spex , with The Clash closing the show with their song "White Riot," sung alongside Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69.
Rock Against Racism essentially sought to proclaim the Black roots of British music, as well as to respond to the racist and xenophobic rhetoric of the far-right, which began to lose strength from the 1980s onwards. The movement remained active until 1982 and is shown in the documentary White Riot , which, in addition to the bands already mentioned, also features Gang of Four and Buzzock. In 2018, Eric Clapton stated that he "feels ashamed" of the racist and fascist comments he made in the past.
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