Sometimes you can feel overwhelmed by the hatred, fear and division that is being stoked up.  And sometimes you can feel overwhelmed by love, support, and solidarity.

I guess we’re in a time of extremes, so such starkly different feelings are not surprising.  Over the last couple of weeks when we have been despairing at the prejudice and inhumanity of the #MuslimBan, we’ve also been energised, inspired and nourished by the protests against the ban, and the incredible love, support and solidarity shown by the music community which Right to Remain has been very proud recipients of.

We wanted to say an enormous thank you to everyone – to the people who have decided to donate money from ticket sales, music sales, tshirts, books, cakes to our work over the last couple weeks, and to everyone who has spent money on those things, thus supporting our work.

Here’s a run-down of the amazing support we’ve had recently.  (If we’ve missed you, SORRY! Please tell us and we’ll make amends.  If you’re inspired by this blog post to join with these lovely people and support our work, please let us know and we will shout our love from the rooptops. The modern virtual version of the rooptops, that is Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc.)

First off the blocks was the wonderful NE:MM (North East Music Magazine) who raised a stunning £1350 from a benefit gig in Newcastle on 21 January. You can see their Facebook post about it here.

Then the wonderful band Martha had 7 days of ‘pay what you can’ for their music downloads and donated all the profits to Right to Remain, raising an amazing £1038.22 (and producing the brilliant picture below to celebrate).  LOVE KNOWS NO BORDERS.

And then it became a bit hard to keep up. 

Inspired by Martha, the brilliant Odd Box Records pledged a week of record sales to Right to Remain and also profits from one of their gigs, followed by Suggested Friends with a similar pledge for tshirt sales (we love the tshirts, by the way).  And then the maker of beautiful music, Alanna McArdle, joined in the action. 

And everything we sell on our bandcamp – https://t.co/HMxZBDw1of for the next week – all profits being donated to @Right_to_Remain.

— Odd Box Records (@OddBoxRecords) January 30, 2017

[inspired by other bands/labels doing the same]

all proceeds from our cats tshirts are going to @Right_to_Remain https://t.co/u0jJWInrDV

— suggested friends (@suggestedfronds) January 30, 2017

any sales made for this whole Feb will be going to @Right_to_Remain https://t.co/6oOBsld6OQ pic.twitter.com/z6RjjwaVAX

— Lan (@alannamcardle_) February 1, 2017

And then there were more and more! Encouraged by the awesome music platform Bandcamp deciding to donate all profits on Friday 3 February to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU, the lawyers fighting – and winning- against Trump’s Muslim Ban), generous offers of financial support to Right to Remain just kept coming and coming.  

THANK YOU to Nik Vestbert, Woah Nows, Just Blankets, Not Right, Lugubrious Audio, Taco Hell, Baker Island, Los Campesinos, Porridge Radio, Wolf Girl, Mammoth Penguins, Happy Accidents and Slum of Legs.

Buy my @allodarlinuk photo book today! @bandcamp's share goes to @ACLU + I'll donate my profit to @right_to_remain – https://t.co/MNq50QFIAv

— Nik Vestberg (@nikvestberg) February 3, 2017

Alongside Bandcamp donating their share to @ACLU today, anything we get from downloads all February we'll donate to @Right_to_Remain

— Just Blankets (@justblankets) February 3, 2017

In honour of this Not Right will be donating all of *our* proceeds today to @Right_to_Remain to support asylum in UK https://t.co/HqxhHtjmKi https://t.co/DtIx3xeru1

— Ruth Pearce (@NotRightRuth) February 3, 2017

Also, it aint much, but all £££ from Lugubrious digital sales for the next week will be donated to @Right_to_Remain x pic.twitter.com/dIvdokiKdK

— Lugubrious Audio (@LugubriousAudio) February 3, 2017

We are donating all money from digital @Bandcamp sales to @Right_to_Remain who fight deportation in the UK. https://t.co/hNbs828fkx

— Taco Hell (@TacoHellBand) February 3, 2017

Anything bought from our Bandcamp today, all the proceeds will go 50/50 to @ACLU & @Right_to_Remain

— Baker Island (@Baker_Island) February 3, 2017

Thank you for your purchases. We've just donated over £1,600 to ACLU, Planned Parenthood & Right to Remain, a privilege to be able to do so.

— Los Campesinos! (@LosCampesinos) February 4, 2017

TODAY IS THE DAY TO BUY THINGS ON BANDCAMP! https://t.co/8DNqMfDh6O pic.twitter.com/9kxYAuCr4l

— WOLF GIRL (@wolfgirl_uk) February 3, 2017

Thanks to everyone that bought a tee through @Bandcamp this weekend. They’re in the post and the money is on its way to @Right_to_Remain

— Mammoth Penguins (@MammothPenguins) February 7, 2017

https://twitter.com/LisaMatthewsRtR/status/827481163950342144

We liked how Woah Nows put it on their Facebook post:

“Hey everyone. So while everything is looking kinda scary right now, one saving grace is that I am seeing people around me taking positive actions to help support others in need… Lets stay active and do what we can eh?”

And also Porridge Radio who said on their post:

“It’s important to realise that injustice is not specific to America at this time, and we should work to help those who are marginalised and in need where we are.”

Porridge Radio are also donating any money collected at their shows to our friends at SOAS Detainee Support.

Still to come, there will be a bake sale for Right to Remain at this London gig on 25 February (at which Right to Remain will also have a table, so come and say hi!):

ALSO: bakesale to fundraise for @Right_to_Remain on 25/02, please feel free to bring along your culinary creations: https://t.co/5WCVEqH39g

— NightoftheTriffids (@soirdetriffid) January 31, 2017