Love Music Hate Racism Festival - LONDON KICKS - Fashion, Music, Art, Film, London and Going Out

May 2, 2008 at 15:51

The rain hammered the pavements harrying Victoria parks’ periphery, slimy and hard. We crossed through the wrought Iron gates and our feet sank into the soft soil. Twelve different leaflets on Marxism printed on waxy paper were thrust into my hand. No harshness, just a hell of a lot of idealism, and some suspect Portaloos. A student identifiable by the natural musk which clings to the plaid beige of campaigning male politics students was shouting into a loudspeaker “Fuck the BNP.” Moisture steamed his glasses conceivably caused by his heated beliefs, but almost certainly the rain, “Fuck the fascists” he bellowed. We watched The Paddington’s frantically strum and pluck followed by the prancings’ of Patrick Wolf, then spun round to find Tony Benn giving a breathtakingly empowering speech on the power of the people, beseeching us to get off our backsides.

I wandered through the thong, past every stereotype conceivable, treading lightly on the picnic mat of a group of Australians drinking Fosters, bumping into a bustling group of large Mammas in church dress, commented politely on the blindingly bright hair of a few hippies who’d made a shaky transition into the 21st century and giggled a little at the rave children who’d made the transition into modernity a little too well. Upon reflection, it’s brilliant, that so many conflicting personalities are willing to stand in the rain for a common conviction, to sink into the mud together to stamp out racism. I stood in awe for a moment as 100,000 people moved around me.
Then suddenly a thin woman with twisted braids trapped in a tie dye turban was smearing glitter on my face. Fuck the BNP, I was unaware that the BNP could be fucked by glitter; in fact I wonder which they would find more offensive, an ethnic minority or a pot of glitter; perhaps an ethnic minority brandishing glitter, preferably a homosexual one.

The BNP could easily be overlooked as something of a xenophobic eccentricity. Those of a liberal disposition are staggered by their basic policies, even phrasing “Indigenous people of Britain” whose purity was “complimented by the historic migrations from mainland Europe”. This innate contradiction embedded in the first line of its manifesto, excuses the fact that frankly there are few whose Gaelic bones have not been melded with a little mainland marrow. Ideology that far right is usually, to the liberally learned left - in the wrong. Yet the BNP refuses to be ignored. This despite extremist pledges by the would-be Mayor Richard Barnbrook to rid London of roughly 1 million immigrants. One wonders whether the object of his extra marital affections, Annika Savilampi herself an immigrant, would be included in this. Regardless of the copy of “Mein Kampf” under candidate Barnbrook’s bed the BNP continue to entertain the possibility of votes, and with 11 seats in Barking
and Dagenham, why shouldn’t they.

The British National Party needs just 5% of the vote to gain a seat, 11% buys them 3, in 2004 with 4.5% of the vote they were just 5,000 short. Their election however, is far from a forgone conclusion. As the most detested Political party, the diversity alone of London ensures that 35% of voters should automatically oppose them. Automatically, however requires you to get up, clothe yourself and vote. Vote naked if you prefer- But vote. In fact for all of you failing to get laid at the moment, at least you can fuck the BNP this Thursday.

Words and photogaphy: Didi Mae