Sziget Festival to kick-off with "anti-racism" day

Hungarian and foreign bands will perform at an anti-racism day to be organised on the opening day of Budapest's Sziget Festival this year, the organisers told MTI on Thursday.

"We must fight racism together and music can be the best means to do it as this expresses the unity of multiculturalism," head of the Love Music Hate Racism movement, Lee Billingham said.

The British ambassador in Budapest Greg Dorey said Hungary and Central Europe were in an especially complex situation, as here," a large number of Roma people live in shameful living conditions, in dire poverty, and there are segregating schools in operation. This should not be allowed to occur in a modern democracy. We would like to play the role of catalysts in Hungary in launching an anti-racism campaign," he said, adding that the British embassy is contributing financially to this campaign.

Hungarian bands to perform on the anti-racism "zero day" at Sziget on August 11 include Kispal es a Borz, Heaven Street Seven, Quimby and Bori Peterfy. Foreign bands to perform include Libertines, Block Party, Franz Ferdinand and The Good, The Bad and the Queen, activist and part of the organising team Sam Duckworth told MTI.

The programme will also feature "Hungarian Jazz against Racism", concerts by star performers from Hungary's jazz scene.

This year will be the 17th week-long Sziget Festival organised on Obuda Island in north Budapest. Last year the festival attracted around 385,000 visitors.

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