Artist Rachael House Plagiarised by Anti-Fascist Movement
by Will Morgan 20-Jan-21
The shoplifting of House’s work demonstrates, sadly, that smug entitlement and complacent pilfering are not the sole prerogative of the right wing;.
In a regrettable instance of shameless plagiarism, the words of artist Rachael House have been unapologetically appropriated by anti-fascist agitators.
In April 2020, House released a poster criticising the Government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis, which was circulated freely and distributed in many parts of the South-East. Not released for profit, the poster’s image has been shared on social media multiple times, which House is happy about, so long as it’s correctly credited.
However, in late 2020, it was brought to her attention that a parody poster imitating the National Health Service’s official handwashing poster, but using House’s exact wording, had been issued by anti-fascist organisations, and was also being widely shared, demonstrating, sadly, that smug entitlement and complacent pilfering are not the sole prerogative of the right wing.
While certainly not unsympathetic to anti-fascist objectives, House nevertheless found the shoplifting of her words without appropriate credit distressing. When House posted about this on social media, her friends and followers took action, sharing and retweeting the story, some even contacting activist organisations to ask them to take down the poster. Some organisations have been apologetic and helpful, while others fail to grasp that just because House shared her original drawing without requiring payment, she did not relinquish her copyright.
House wrote on social media;
“After telling you about the poster ripping off my drawing, I was shown yesterday how much it was on Twitter, having been retweeted by a band’s account. So instead of just feeling sad about it, I asked people to retweet my drawing instead and share it across social media. On Twitter my drawing got more than 600 retweets (that’s a lot for me, I have hardly any followers and don’t post much there), and more than 1,000 likes. I’ve also got about 80 new Instagram followers in one day. There were a few nasty responses, but not many. Including a couple of people who said that because my drawing references Macbeth I was ripping off Shakespeare! Mainly I felt very supported by my friends and by many many strangers who value my work, so I’m glad that I took some action.”
Tags: Anti-Fascist, National Health Service, Rachael House
Racael House is a Goddess ✨🖤✨
Racael House is my Goddess ✨🖤✨
Racael House for Premiere ✨🖤✨
No one’s intellectual property is safe when ideology is in play. As the article mentions, the right wing has repeatedly used unlicensed music by artists who adamantly oppose the right wing’s policies. True to form, disgraced seditionist Donald Trump has been the worst offender in recent history, repeatedly helping himself to music by artists who wouldn’t spit on the man if he were dying of thirst. It would not surprise me in the least to learn that visual artwork has likewise been misused.
The right wing’s handmaiden, fundamentalist Christianity, is also guilty as charged. I’ve lost count of the number of trademarks I have seen co-opted by allegedly ‘Christian’ religionists: brands from Tommy Hilfiger to Harley-Davidson, and everything in between. Apparently, the commandment ‘Thou shalt not steal’ doesn’t apply when thieving in the name of the Lord.
Of course, ‘Thou shalt not kill’ gets short shrift, too. If enough of your ‘Christian’ neighbors decide they don’t want you breathing the same air they do, your life is forfeit. And let us not forget that the Ku Klux Klan and other violent extremist groups view themselves as unwaveringly ‘Christian’ organizations.
However, it is particularly disappointing that a left-wing group – the wing that is supposed to be on the side of justice and fairness for all – has refused to abide by this artist’s simple request: that she be credited for her work. As the work was freely given by Ms. House, we know the misappropriation isn’t even about greed. It is just intellectual and moral LAZINESS, resulting in an unwarranted (and likely unforgivable) disrespect for the rights of the original work’s creator.