Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) is a music-oriented campaign based in Britain by the Anti-Nazi League and Unite Against Fascism. The campaign involves concerts aimed at spreading an anti-racist message. It follows in the tradition of the 1970s Rock Against Racism (RAR) campaign, which also involved the Anti-Nazi League.
LMHR was set up in 2002 in response to the perceived increase in support for the far right British National Party.[1] The first big LMHR concert was a festival in Manchester’s Platt Fields Park, headlined by Doves and Ms. Dynamite.
Over the years it has gained the support of several acts in the UK of varying genres, including rock acts like Pete Doherty[2] and Blood Red Shoes[3], hip-hop acts like Roll Deep[4] and Lowkey[5], punk rock acts like the King Blues, and jazz musicians like Courtney Pine[6]. Due to this wide array of support and due to the organisation's belief that society's diversity is reflected in music, most LMHR concerts include several music genres.[7]
In October 2007, popularity for the group dramatically increased following a big campaign in the music magazine, NME.[8] In December 2007, the campaign announced that it would mark the 30th anniversary of the RAR/ANL carnival and procession with a similar event in Victoria Park on 27 April 2008.[9]