Photo © John Sturrock, 1978

As well as being a day of blistering live music and protest, the Northern Carnival provided a safe space for families and friends to be together.

Photo © John Sturrock, 1978

A right rum bunch - great homemade anti-NF tee on the left.

Photo © John Sturrock

Great shot illustrating how relaxing the Carnival was for many people. The guy at the back may have been a member of the North West Spanner theatre group.

The Morning Star is a left-wing British daily newspaper with a focus on social, political and trade union issues. It was one of the only news outlets to cover the Northern Carnival. The Manchester Evening News chose only to report on the traffic delays caused by the Carnival march.

The NME review of the Northern Carnival Against the Nazis, featuring a funny comment from Buzzcocks manager Richard Boon.

Paul Morley writes:

The marchers begin to arrive at the park at about 2.30pm. At the back of the stage area there are hassles. Buzzcocks, who took two weeks' deliberation before deciding to appear, don't want the responsibility of going on last - nor do they wish to go on first before all the marchers arrive. About 5,000 people are already there, occupying the best vantage points. the marchers are clearly going to take at least an hour to arrive. Heated discussion. Exasperation. Richard Boon, Buzzcocks appealing manager, is clearly dismayed at the mess. The organisation is a shambles, he moans.

"They know a lot about propaganda but nothing about rock 'n' roll. If the people who are organising this are the revolution, then I'm emigrating."

Photo © Geoff Brown

The Northern Carnival Against the Nazis, 1978, was a day many will never forget. Unprecedented numbers of activists, music fans, trade unionists, students and families came together from diverse communities across the North West to unite and fight racism.

But did it really change anything?

In April 1979 anti-racist activist Blair Peach was murdered by a Greater London police officer at a demonstration in Southall.

In July 1981, simmering tensions boiled over in Moss Side. A group of young people besieged the local police station, during 3 days of rioting and street battles with police. People who had done nothing wrong were indiscriminately arrested and assaulted.

But the Rock Against Racism Carnivals gave activists the confidence to keep on campaigning. By the 1990s, the membership and influence of the National Front had steeply dwindled. The use of racist language in popular entertainment had been all but eradicated.

In 2018 many people feel that the UK is still a profoundly racist and divided country whose minority communities suffer multiple layers of disadvantage.

Anti-fascist campaigners now face the challenge of countering far right figurehead Tommy Robinson, who, having won the support and financial backing of the US ‘alt-right’, continues to achieve global press coverage.

Steel Pulse’s Basil Gabbidon said in a 2018 interview:

‘Rock Against Racism was about unity. How can we revamp that in this day and age? People don’t get together enough. Governments will always try to break up communities. Togetherness is the only response.’

Notes the last line of this flyer: who saw the Buzzcocks at the Northern Carnival? WE DID!

Sent in by Phil Williams, who writes:

In the wake of the Northern Carnival Against the Nazis, and the profound way it turned people’s heads, Buzzcocks, going about ‘business as usual’, set out on the ‘Beating Hearts’ tour to promote their second album ‘Love Bites’. Although I’m not sure of the cohesiveness of their continued relationship with Anti Nazi League/Rock Against Racism, they clearly allowed a continued presence of the organisation at many subsequent gigs, in the form of a merchandise stall where literature, leaflets, stickers, badges, etc, were available alongside the band’s own usual promotional merchandise. I picked up this flyer at the Malvern Winter Gardens gig along with badges, stickers and other literature, all of which, sadly, have been lost through the passage of time.

On the 14th July 2018, Manchester Digital Music Archive hosted an event at Central Library, Manchester to mark the 40th anniversary of the Northern Carnival Against the Nazis, 1978 in conjunction with the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust.

Here are some photos of the day by Emma Gibbs featuring:

Geoff Brown & Ramila Patel
Project volunteer Toni-Dee Paul and Carnival attendee John Hall
Abigail Ward and Bernie Wilcox
SCHEDULE

12.00 FILMS A series of historical films introduced by Geoff Brown

Rock Against Racism: Nazis Are No Fun
Who Shot The Sheriff?
Leeds Rock Against Racism

13.45 BREAK

14.00 SPEAKER: Jaheda Choudhury-Potter & Ajah UK

14.15 FILM: A brand new short film on the Northern Carnival Against the Nazis, 1978, by Antony Morris

14.30 PANEL DISCUSSION

15.45 SHARING MEMORIES Recording memories - share your memories of the Carnival with our project volunteers

PANEL

RAMILA PATEL (Bolton Asian Youth Movement)

On July 15th 1978, Ramila Patel of Bolton Asian Youth Movement addressed a crowd of 15,000 anti-racism protesters that had amassed in the car park of Strangeways prison to march across town to Alexandra Park in Moss Side - the main site of the Northern Carinval Against the Nazis. Ramila was asked to give the address by Anti-Nazi League organsier Geoff Brown, following her brave stance against National Front leader Martin Webster at a previous demo, in which she marched alone in defiance of Webster holding a placard saying 'This man is a Nazi'. Ramila is now Head of Visual Arts at Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa.


BERNIE WILCOX (Rock Against Racism)

Bernie Wilcox was the original organiser of Rock Against Racism in Manchester and was, with Geoff Brown of the Anti Nazi League, one of the instigators and prime movers behind the Northern Carnival Against The Nazis in 1978. Bernie has since forged a successful business career owning specialist recruitment businesses. Anti-racism, socialism and music are still close to his heart.


GEOFF BROWN (Anti-Nazi League)

Geoff became a revolutionary socialist at university in 1968, active in the campaign against the US war in Vietnam. His first arrest was for chalking slogans on his college wall, his second for obstructing a police officer at an anti-National Front protest. Joining the International Socialists (from 1977 the Socialist Workers Party) he moved to Manchester in 1972. When the Anti Nazi League was founded in late 1977 he became its Manchester organiser, helping saturate the city with leaflets, badges and protests and getting fifty coaches and minibuses, about 2,500 people, to the first Anti Nazi League/Rock Against Racism carnival in London in April 1978. Geoff went on to be a union tutor, working with shop stewards and on projects abroad, particularly in Pakistan. He was union branch secretary till he was victimised for his trade union activity, after which he was a part time official for his union, finishing in 2015. He is now active as a historian of Manchester ‘from below’.


Chaired by ABIGAIL WARD (Manchester Digital Music Archive)


Supported by by Heritage Lottery Fund

Thanks to National Lottery players, Heritage Lottery Fund invests money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife.

Supported by Futura

Futura are the north's leading Rec2Rec headhunting specialists. Established in 2001, they provide experienced recruitment professionals to the very best recruitment agencies in the country.

Photographer unknown.

Debbie Golt writes:

Maggie Ross Turner (wrote as Maggie Ross), who sadly died aged 63 in April 2013, was a powerhouse and determined campaigner against racism and injustice. Through light contact with the Socialist Workers Party and galvanised by the Rock Against Racism letter in the NME, Maggie joined RAR at the start locally and made a massive contribution co-organising events, encouraging participation and writing for the Temporary Hoarding fanzine in her witty, missing nothing style, keeping everyone on their toes.

Originally from Wythenshawe and living in Moss Side in the late 70s, Maggie made a major difference especially working with Debbie Golt (Gold) to save the Manchester leg of the 1979 RAR tour when everything was falling apart, and major acts pulled out at the last minute.

Maggie sat on the phone to see if national artists could be replaced and then, when this proved impossible, she and Debbie recruited local artists Badstone and The Distractions alongside Top Sound, President (Amin) and X-O-Dus (who were still in), to take part in a packed event.

She also helped Debbie on a series of Youth Sound System clashes involving Manchester and Birmingham Youth Sounds.

Maggie Ross Turner overcame serious younger life issues to forge a brilliant career – as Equalities Officer for Manchester City Council (1989-95), and after teaching in London became a Study Coach for Under and Post Graduate students at University of Manchester (2006-2013), supporting ‘people who have been written off by the system but who have retained a shred of belief in themselves bringing themselves to university … and reinforcing that to help them make their dreams and ambitions a reality’.

Maggie through and through!

She did 2 MA degrees in TV and Creative writing and followed a parallel career in later life as a freelance writer, as stand up ‘Marlene Bracegirdle’ and a sought-after inspirational speaker.

Photo © Emma Gibbs

Debbie Golt is passionate about music, especially reggae and African, and still DJs at festivals, clubs and on radio in her mid 60s, having started playing out in public at Rock Against Racism gigs in Manchester in 1978.

She played a feisty 78/79 punk and reggae mix at the Love Manchester Music Hate Racism event celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Northern Carnival against the Nazis at Night People in July.

Now London-based, Debbie lived in Old Trafford in the late 70s and was immersed in RAR and related activities as well as being part of Socialist Workers Party. Debbie co-organised a great many events in different parts of Manchester and was a steward at the Northern Carnival against the Nazis.

Later she worked to keep Manchester RAR going in 1979-80 after Bernie Wilcox left Manchester. Together with Maggie Ross Turner Debbie rescued the 1979 national Red Rhino tour when the major names pulled out at the last minute and over 200 tickets had been sold.

Unable to get other big names to take part at short notice they called in other local artists to play alongside X-O-Dus who were still on board as the original local act: Badstone and the Distractions both stepped up as did Top Sound man President (Amin) and the event was rammed and very well mixed.

Debbie built a great rapport with local black young people and organised a series of Youth Sound Systems with Manchester and Birmingham Youth Sounds at their request. Manchester Sounds were Baron, Killerwatt (and another whose name escapes her).

Debbie wrote for Temporary Hoarding, most notably interviewing John Cooper Clarke (with Vicky Passant) for the Manchester edition of TH and a discussion piece after talking with members of Baron and Killerwatt Sounds.

Debbie came to Manchester to work with agitprop group North West Spanner Theatre and then was a youth worker. After returning to London, she worked with African music and culture organisations, managed bands including Taxi Pata Pata and co-ran Half the Sky (with Alexa Dalby in early 90s), who championed African women artists, and gave Oumou Sangare her first UK dates, and were the first to interview Angelique Kidjo (with Nish Watengwa).

She was a Local Authority Arts Officer and then moved on to be a Radio Skills trainer with Women’s Radio Group and is now with Community Champions. Debbie has been a radio broadcaster since the early 90s and was part of the first internet radio, Gaia Live in late 90s/early 2000s. Her current show The Outerglobe is on Resonance FM London and worldwide. She is also Chair of national organisation Women in Music (UK).

On 23rd September 2018, Manchester Digital Music Archive held the launch of the We Are Dynamite! Northern Carnival Against the Nazis 40th Anniversary Exhibition.

These photos are by Aidan O'Rourke.

*

The Northern Carnival against the Nazis, a rally and concert held on 15 July 1978 in Moss Side, Manchester, was a defining moment in establishing anti-racism in the city and beyond.

Dubbed ‘the day it became cool to be anti-racist’, the Carnival galvanised North West communities against racist groups, including the National Front. A rally of 15,000 people marched all the way from Strangeways prison to Alexandra Park joining a further 25,000 for an afternoon of music, dancing and unity.

Co-organised by Geoff Brown of the Anti-Nazi League (ANL) and Bernie Wilcox of Rock Against Racism (RAR), the Carnival featured incendiary live performances by pop-punk superstars Buzzcocks and Steel Pulse, the UK's leading reggae band of the period. Support came from Moss Side reggae band Exodus (later X-O-Dus) and China Street from Lancaster, who had released a single on EMI called ‘Rock Against Racism’.

This exhibition of unseen photos and ephemera aims to highlight the passion and excitement of the day whilst inspiring visitors to reflect upon a new era of challenge for people opposing messages of racism and division across the world.

Join us for drinks and conversation from 6.30pm.

Special guests: Honey and Patrick from Exodus.

The exhibition will run from:
Mon Sep 3rd-Sat Sep 22nd 10am-7pm and is FREE.

Our project volunteers would like to speak to anyone who attended the march or Carnival. We are looking to capture memories, images and footage for our permanent digital exhibition. If you can help, get in touch: info@mdmarchive.co.uk

IMAGE: Steel Pulse at the Carnival (L-R) Basil Gabbidon and David Hinds © John Sturrock, 1978

Twitter:
#NorthernCarnival1978
@MDMArchive

Supported by by Heritage Lottery Fund

Thanks to National Lottery players, Heritage Lottery Fund invests money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife.

Supported by Futura

Futura are the north's leading Rec2Rec headhunting specialists. Established in 2001, they provide experienced recruitment professionals to the very best recruitment agencies in the country.

A clip of BBC North West Tonight's coverage of Manchester Digital Music Archive's We Are Dynamite! exhibition from September 2018.

The Northern Carnival against the Nazis, a rally and concert held on 15 July 1978 in Moss Side, Manchester, was a defining moment in establishing anti-racism in the city and beyond.

This films tells the story of that day. It was shot and directed by Antony Morris and features interviews with Exodus, Kwasi Asanti, Louise Alderman, Ramila Patel, Geoff Brown and Bernie Wilcox.