Stuff You Gotta Watch: White Riot
White Riot tells the powerful story of punks organizing against the far right in late ‘70s London. The grassroots organization Rock Against Racism was initially galvanized by Eric Clapton’s hateful onstage rant in support of the Conservative minister Enoch Powell. Under the direction of founder Red Saunders, RAR picked up steam as an intersectional zine and live event series with chapters spreading across the country to curb the rising tide of discrimination.
Director Rubikah Shah pulls together an impressive mix of archival images and interviews with key figures such as Saunders, The Clash’s Topper Headon, dub hero Dennis Bovell, and Pervez Bilgrani of the South Asian punk band Alien Kulture. They share the story of how RAR grew in strength and solidarity against the National Front party. London’s police force proved whose side they were on, introducing flimsy charges, such as “loitering with intent to steal,” to disproportionately target people of colour. One of the film’s most absurd moments shows the NF launching their own zine in a transparent attempt to be down with the kids. “Hello, fellow punks.”

The documentary closes on a triumphal note, showcasing RAR’s most ambitious outdoor event: the Carnival Against Nazis. Boasting a mixed bill of reggae group Steel Pulse (who perform onstage in KKK robes), X-Ray Spex, the perpetually overlooked Tom Robinson Band, and The Clash, they drew in an audience of 100,000 in support of their cause. The National Front lost the 1979 election, but their spectre looms larger than ever today. White Riot proves that ordinary people have always had the power to fight back.
Review by Jesse Locke. Check out the full archive of the Stuff You Gotta Watch column.