Rock Against Racism was born in the mid 1970s as a movement to combat the increasing presence of racism and fascism in the UK. United by a mutual love of music, and spurred on by the success of the National Front party in the 1977 London GLC Election, RAR arranged a series of carnivals.

On 30 April 1978, 100,000 people marched from Trafalgar Square to Victoria Park where a gig was held featuring The Clash, Steel Pulse, X-Ray Spex and more. This diverse line up supported RAR’s slogan; “Reggae, soul, rock and roll, jazz, funk, punk.”, highlighting their love of many genres, in contrast to the fascists who they accused of only liking military music.