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Divide and Rule - Never!
Young working class Londoners fight racism with the power of rock and reggae in this anarchic documentary.
Documentary 1978 41 mins
Overview
This punk-infused documentary by the Newsreel Collective invites young working class Londoners to discuss their experiences of racism. First and second generation Black and Asian immigrants, as well as ex-National Front members, paint a detailed picture of discrimination in 1970s Britain. The film uses lo-fi animation, archive footage and a pulsating soundtrack to compare racial inequality in London to Britain's colonial 'divide and rule' policy, European fascism and the rise of Nazi Germany.
Reggae band The Enchanters are interviewed about their involvement with the Rock Against Racism movement, which started in 1976. The film also shows the 1978 Brick Lane Protest, organised by the Anti-Nazi League and the Hackney and Tower Hamlets Defence Committee.
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