Manic Street Preachers
are taking legal action against the English Defence League for using
their song 'If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next' to promote
an upcoming demonstration in Birmingham.
Ironically, the song - taken from the band's 1998 album 'This Is My
Truth Tell Me Yours' - took its name from an anti-fascist slogan used
during the Spanish Civil War and has now been used by the far-right
group in a video about one of their demos. The song famously features
the lyric: "So if I can shoot rabbits/Then I can shoot fascists".
Michael
Wongsam, the Chair of West Midlands Unite Against Fascism said in a
statement: "We are appalled to discover that the racist and fascist
English Defence League has used the anti-fascist song 'If You Tolerate
This Your Children Will Be Next' by the band the Manic Street
Preachers…This song takes its title from an anti-fascist slogan used
during the Spanish Civil War where anti-racists and anti-fascists from
all over Europe tried to stop Franco’s fascists from taking over the
country."
He adds that West Midlands Unite Against Fascism will be stating a
counter protest on July 20. "We want to have a peaceful counter
demonstration on the day to show that Birmingham is a united,
multicultural and peaceful community that does not want a group of
racist and fascist thugs intimidating or attacking Muslims or any other
minority group in our city."
A spokesperson for the Manics told NME that the band were "horrified"
that their track was being used in the promo and that the label
requested the video was taken down immediately.
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