Musicians, writers, activists, community leaders and local politicians have signed the Stand up to Racism letter urging Cinema and Co not to let their opposition to Covid passes be used to whip up support for fascists and the far right.
To ‘Anti-Racists protest in Swansea, via SuTR’
Hundreds of Swansea based musicians, writers, activists and community leaders have signed an open letter to Cinema and Co to express their “dismay” at seeing the venue “being manipulated by far right groups such as Voice of Wales.”
“As performers, promoters, creators and activists, we have long valued the supportive space offered by Cinema and Co and have many happy memories of events there pre COVID,” the letter reads.
The letter, initiated by Swansea Stand Up To Racism, has been signed by many in the city’s arts and creative scene, as well by anti racist activists, local councillors, the poet Patrick Jones, Swansea MP Geraint Davies and former Neath MP Peter Hain (full letter and list of signatories below).
One of the groups backing the letter is the Swansea band Bandicoot, who said they were “appalled to see the developments following Cinema & Co and their association with the far right”
Nimisha Trivedi from Swansea Stand Up to Racism said that “While the pandemic has made for an incredibly tough time for all venues, the far right is never the answer. The bigotry and hatred of these people mean that they stand for the complete opposite of the vibrant, diverse and creative City we all want Swansea to be”
The signatories of the letter say they “understand the frustration you [the owners and staff of Cinema and Co] must feel as we witness the inept way the Pandemic and its aftermath have been handled…”
But they say that whatever people’s views of the Covid passes being implemented in Wales, they are “very concerned that you [Cinema and Co] have let your opposition to them allow yourself to be used by the far right.”
“Many of those who are promoting you on social media are racists and Fascists, not least Voice of Wales,” the letter states. “This far right sect were involved with harassing refugees in West Wales, abusing Swansea City Football Players taking the knee and have worked with notorious bigots such as Katie Hopkins and infamous Fascist fraudster and football thug, Tommy Robinson.”
The small independent cinema in Swansea city centre has been in the news after they refused to comply with new Welsh Government measures meaning that all attendees had to obtain a Covid pass from the NHS, which requires either proof of vaccination or a negative test result.
The cinema owner said they would not require users to show the passes before Swansea council ordered it to close. The owner has featured prominently in Welsh news and the issue was quickly taken up by the far right in Wales and beyond.
An online fundraiser was set up by the former Brexit Party & Abolish the Welsh Assembly candidate Richard Taylor, and had quickly raised almost £60,000 at the time of writing.
Opposition to new Covid restrictions goes beyond the far right and has seen huge protests and riots in Europe over the past week, but there is real concern that anger over the pandemic is being capitalised on by the far right and fascists.
Voice of Wales were previously called Leavers of Swansea before they changed their name last year (long after this website with a similar name, voice.wales, was set up).
“They [Voice of Wales] even hosted representatives of American Fascist group The Proud Boys (one of whose members proudly wore a vile ‘Camp Auschwitz’ hoodie),” the letter reads.
“No wonder Voice of Wales have been permanently thrown off Youtube for their continued ‘unacceptable’ Islamophobic and anti Semitic activity, as reported by the BBC.”
The letter is signed by people including the poet Patrick Jones, the Swansea band Bandicoots and representatives from grassroots arts groups Swansea Music Hub and Live Poets Society, as well as nurses, teachers anti-racist activists.
They say that the far right and fascists “have no interest in the vibrant, diverse, creative culture which we have so enjoyed at Cinema and Co” and call on the owners to “publicly distance yourself from groups such as Voice of Wales who openly foster Islamophobia, anti Semitism and racial division.”
Swansea Stand up To Racism have also highlighted the fact that in 2016 Cinema and Co was used to host a discussion on an anti-fascist film about how the BNP manipulated people into supporting them.
Yesterday the owner of the cinema, Anna Redfern, posted a message on the Cinema and Co Facebook page where she thanked people for their support but added, “Unfortunately the downside is that I’m being acted on by so many forces out of my control, some very dark.” She said she was not connected to the far right of any form of racism.
Stand up to Racism Swansea say the letter was signed within 24 hours by Prof Uzo Iwobi OBE (Founder of Race Council Cymru) , Geraint Davies MP, Bandicoot, Cllr Lesley Walton (Diversity Champion), Patience Bentu (Race Council Cymru), Patrick Jones (poet), Joe Bayliss (Swansea Music Hub), Nimisha Trivedi (Swansea Stand Up to Racism), Jose Cifuentes (Chilean refugee and writer), Richard Rose (R*E*P*E*A*T Records / Love Music Hate Racism), Taha Idris OBE (former CEO of Swansea Bay Race Equality Council), Mairead Canavan (NEU National Executive member for Wales, personal capacity), Libby Nolan UNISON NEC (Personal Capacity), Rhoda Thomas (Live Poets Society Swansea), Cllr Louise Gibbard, Lord Peter Hain, and around 200 others have also signed.
People can add their name to the letter here or via the Swansea Stand up to Racism Facebook Page.
*This article was amended after previously stating the cinema was in Uplands, Swansea
