We've contacted 88 artists in the lineup at Splendour in the Grass Festival (North Byron Parklands July 19-21) to ask for their help in our campaign to drive Wicked Campers off our roads.
Here's what we wrote:
Dear Splendour in the Grass Artist
“The difference between marmalade and jam is you can’t marmalade your c*ck down your girlfriend’s throat”
“Nice legs, what time do they open?”
“Am I still a virgin if I take it up the sh*tter”
“It’s better 2 be black than gay cos u don’t have 2 tell your parents”
These are just a few of the slogans plastered across Wicked Campers’ vans-for-hire. The company has become notorious for depicting anti-women messages on their vans - even making fun of rape and murder. For more than ten years, Wicked has gotten away with spreading abuse on four wheels, through their misogynist, racist and homophobic messages. Child abuse survivors have also been distressed by ‘jokes’ about paedophilia.
We think it’s time for this to stop. And we are asking you to help us.
Recently, Wollombi Music Festival organiser Adrian Buckley announced that Wicked Campers were no longer welcome at the Wollombi festival. In his statement, he said the company acted against the festival’s values and, as a result, would not be welcome at the annual event (as documented here).
As a grassroots movement working to bring an end to Wicked Campers’ mobile misogyny for over a decade, Collective Shout commends Adrian’s strong stand and demonstration of leadership and initiative within the music festival community. We are also pleased that four Australian states have passed legislation to de-register Wicked Campers when they don’t comply with Ad Standards rulings (NT will ban them regardless).
We have publicly called on other major Australian music festival organisers to follow Adrian’s lead (and to reflect growing anti-Wicked sentiment as reflected in four legislatures) and place blanket bans on Wicked Campers. As featured artists at the 19th annual Splendour in the Grass Festival at the North Byron Parklands at Yelgun, NSW, we believe you are in a significant position to exercise influence on festival organisers and express how you feel about these hateful messages being spread at such a great event. (As an aside, we note that Ballina and Bryon Shire Councils have in the past backed motions supporting removal of the derogatory slogans.)
As you would know, there is at last a national and global discussion about the epidemic of violence against women. Research shows that achieving gender equality is undermined by sexist messages and objectified portrayals of women. Sexist attitudes result in sexist behaviours. Wicked Campers are normalising and fuelling the problem.
We hope that you might be willing to raise the issue with festival organisers.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Melinda Tankard Reist, Movement Director
Coralie Alison, Director
Want to take action yourself? You can add your voice to our campaign today!
- Contact music festival organisers at details below and ask for a blanket ban on Wicked Campers from their event:
SITG: [email protected]
Rainbow Serpent Festival: rainbowserpent.net/contact/
Big Pineapple Music Festival: bigpineapplemusicfestival.com/contact-1
Groovin the Moo: [email protected] - Join the Twitter conversation using #NotOnOurRoads
- Sign our petition here
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