Anti Nazi League press release - Friday 29 November 2002

DANNII OUTED AS RACIST BIGOT

Pop singer praises Le Pen and lays into Asians and asylum seekers

Pop singer Dannii Minogue has revealed herself as a racist bigot in an interview at a plush London restaurant for GQ magazine. Dannii spoke warmly of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the French fascist leader, claiming his virulent attacks on Asians and asylum seekers "stuck a chord with people". She launched a tirade against Asians living in Australia, complaining that "even some of the street signs are in Asian [sic]". Dannii also lashed out at asylum seekers, Gypsies and people who live on council estates.

The British National Party has eagerly endorsed Dannii's racism and snobbery. The party's website proudly proclaims that "Kylie's sister backs the BNP!", using her invective to fuel its Nazi campaign of race hatred. Racist attacks have shot up in areas where the Nazi BNP is active. Bigoted comments from public figures feed into this terror by giving racism a veneer of respectability and boosting the confidence of Nazi thugs.

Dannii's racism is compounded by the breathtaking hypocrisy of her comments. Dannii is herself a native of Australia who moved to Britain to further her career - an "economic migrant", in other words. Immigrants are okay by Dannii - providing they're rich and white!

The venue for Dannii's racist outburst was Les Trois Garçons, a £200-a-head restaurant decorated with stuffed animals and located in "trendy" Shoreditch, East London. It is right next door to Brick Lane, a vibrant but impoverished area of London and the centre of the city's Bangladeshi community. BNP member David Copeland planted a nailbomb in the area in 1999 as part of his campaign to ignite a "race war" in Britain. Copeland also bombed Brixton town centre and a gay pub in Soho, where he killed three people.

Dannii's praise for Jean-Marie Le Pen echoes comments made by Eric Clapton in 1976, who supported the racist Tory politician Enoch Powell and called for Kenyan Asians to be "sent home". Clapton's outburst led directly to the formation of Rock Against Racism, a huge popular movement that was instrumental in smashing the National Front in the late 1970s.

While Dannii is not in Clapton's musical league, her bigotry is identical. But it is unequivocally rejected by her fellow musicians and artists. The Love Music Hate Racism campaign, organised by the Anti Nazi League, brings together music lovers from all races and backgrounds to fight racism and defend our multicultural society. Love Music Hate Racism is backed by stars such as Ms Dynamite, Doves, Heartless Crew and Tim Westwood. The campaign launches on Friday 6 December at Ocean, Hackney.