Exclusive: UK singer, 80, says it is ‘absurd’ as a ‘positive atheist, homosexual black artist’ for far right to claim his work
For decades, Labi Siffre’s hit (Something Inside) So Strong has been a global anthem against apartheid. It was inspired by a documentary about apartheid-era South Africa, and was widely reported to be Nelson Mandela’s favourite song.
But now the singer-songwriter has taken the step of issuing Tommy Robinson with a cease and desist order after the far-right activist incorporated the song into his social media posts and used it at the recent “unite the kingdom” rally in central London.
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The musician and his publisher, BMG Rights Management, have issued the cease and desist order to Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, against the unauthorised use of his work. “They’re breaking all sorts of copyrights,” Siffre says. “Even in an era when theft is easier than it ever was, it’s still theft.”
During his rally earlier this month, which was attended by more than 110,000 people, Robinson invited a former X Factor contestant to sing (Something Inside) So Strong. “I always like telling stories through music and this next song now is going to tell all of our stories of why we’re here and why we care,” Robinson said.
Last year, the activist also posted the lyrics of the song to his X account, after allegedly fleeing the country after committing contempt of court.
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“I had just seen this documentary of white soldiers [in South Africa] shooting at black people in the street indiscriminately. I knew I wanted to write a song about apartheid,” he recalls.
“One evening, late, I found myself in my studio sat down at the keyboard. I played a C chord, put my head back, and immediately, without thinking, I sang the first two lines of the song. It just came out. I had a tear in my eye and realised that I was writing about my life as a homosexual child, a homosexual youth, a homosexual man, and the battle that that entailed.”
But when he finished the song, Siffre says he realised it was for “just about anyone who had a battle to fight. Even if it was a small battle that day at work, or a small problem in their relationships. Its relevance was even wider than my life as a homosexual, or apartheid.
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Original article at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/28/labi-siffre-cease-and-desist-letter-tommy-robinson-anti-apartheid-anthem-something-inside-so-strong
Timothy Crosland leaving the Old Bailey, central London, after his preliminary hearing, September 26 2025
