NSFW. His words.
How I felt: shocked. He seems so sweet, kind, thoughtful.
“In 1976, Eric Clapton made a speech at a concert encouraging the British audience to vote for Enoch Powell, saying that Britain needed to “get the foreigners out, get the wogs out, get the coons out”, and repeatedly shouting “Keep Britain White”. In response, Rock Against Racism was formed.” (en.wikipedia.org) [Source linked]
The gentleman I enjoyed so thoroughly in the 90s…this? The hippie rocker whose classic work I enjoyed so thoroughly back in college? This is the same guy? But at least something good came of it: Rock against Racism.
“Do we have any foreigners in the audience tonight? If so, please put up your hands. Wogs I mean, I’m looking at you. Where are you? I’m sorry but some fucking wog…Arab grabbed my wife’s bum, you know? Surely got to be said, yeah this is what all the fucking foreigners and wogs over here are like, just disgusting, that’s just the truth, yeah. So where are you? Well wherever you all are, I think you should all just leave. Not just leave the hall, leave our country. You fucking (indecipherable). I don’t want you here, in the room or in my country. Listen to me, man! I think we should vote for Enoch Powell. Enoch’s our man. I think Enoch’s right, I think we should send them all back. Stop Britain from becoming a black colony. Get the foreigners out. Get the wogs out. Get the coons out. Keep Britain white. I used to be into dope, now I’m into racism. It’s much heavier, man. Fucking wogs, man. Fucking Saudis taking over London. Bastard wogs. Britain is becoming overcrowded and Enoch will stop it and send them all back. The black wogs and coons and Arabs and fucking Jamaicans and fucking (indecipherable) don’t belong here, we don’t want them here. This is England, this is a white country, we don’t want any black wogs and coons living here. We need to make clear to them they are not welcome. England is for white people, man. We are a white country. I don’t want fucking wogs living next to me with their standards. This is Great Britain, a white country, what is happening to us, for fuck’s sake? We need to vote for Enoch Powell, he’s a great man, speaking truth. Vote for Enoch, he’s our man, he’s on our side, he’ll look after us. I want all of you here to vote for Enoch, support him, he’s on our side. Enoch for Prime Minister! Throw the wogs out! Keep Britain white!”
Source: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eric_Clapton
Unfortunately: “Also worth noting that Clapton later said it was a joke, but has reiterated his support for Enoch Powell and his “keep Britain white” policies in 2004 and 2007.” And yeah, there’s more.
I’d love to agree with some fans that they were one-time, misunderstood, alcohol-fueled misstatements…but “Wog, shorthand for golliwog, was a slur against dark-skinned nonwhites.”
And he hasn’t denied it: “I did really offensive things,” he told one outlet. “I was a nasty person,” adding, in a striking admission, that his Birmingham rant was “full-tilt” racist. “I’m not excusing myself. It was an awful thing to do,” he said, again, adding, “I think it’s funny, actually.”
For more:
If you Know you aren’t Racist, watch this Blue-Eyed, Brown-Eyed Test.
To cheer you up:
For more:
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