Photo: Matthias Sandman. All rights reserved.
<!–
–>
In autumn 2019, the songwriter Stefan Stoppok released a touching video for his song “Let them in” in cooperation with Seawatch, the sea rescue organization for refugees. “The displaced souls, let them in / those who count on our love, let them in / the many who no longer know where to go / without a home, let them all in,” he sings to images of a Seawatch rescue operation. As expected, the clip received quite a shitstorm from conspiracy theorists, nationalists and racists. The comment function under the video had to be deactivated. “There is enough hate in the world and with hate we will never solve our problems, it has never worked,” says a statement since then under the song.
A few months later, shortly before the refugee camp in Moria, Greece, burned down, some musicians had the idea of recording their own songs entitled “Let them in” as part of a solidarity campaign. But then the corona pandemic began and the project was put on hold for the time being. Cologne-based band Erdmöbel released their contribution, now titled Wir sind nicht das Volk (Let them in), tonight as the fourth pre-track to their new album Guten Morgen, Ragazzi, which will be released on May 20th .
Although written in a different time, this song is “unfortunately still and again frighteningly up-to-date”, writes the band about this “hymn against nationalism”. “Now that nationalism and chauvinism have raised their heads again openly in Russia with the war against Ukraine,” it continues, “it cannot be said often enough. Whether in Russia or elsewhere: you are not ‘the people’! Nobody is the people.” The song is “a universal message of peace”, which at the same time calls for solidarity with all people who are currently fleeing.
It would be great if there weren’t a lot of hate comments from intolerant trolls to be read under the very cleverly edited clip for this song, which feeds on the typical melancholy of earth furniture. You could help there: Just go to the YouTube page and leave the message in the comment function under the clip: Let them in!
<!–
–>
<!–
–>