PHOTOS & VIDEO: Hundreds rally at Rock Against the TPP in Pittsburgh

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, November 4, 2016
Contact: Evan Greer, press@fightforthefuture.org, (978) 852-6457

PITTSBURGH, PA––Hundreds packed into Mr Smalls Theater in Pittsburgh last night to protest the anti-democratic Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement at the “Rock Against the TPP” concert headlined by legendary political punk band Anti-Flag. The event was part of a nationwide tour featuring high profile musicians and celebrities raising awareness about controversial deal, which is expected to come up for a vote in Congress during the “lame duck” session after the election.

See PHOTOS of the event available for use by press here: http://imgur.com/a/I9RrK

See a short VIDEO from the finale of the event here: https://youtu.be/p8ngUeInoKw 

The concert also featured renowned Pittsburgh folksinger Anne Feeney along with Downtown Boys, Taina Asili, Ryan Harvey, Son of Nun,

The TPP has little to do with trade, but instead grants multinational corporations extraordinary new powers to threaten jobs, the environment, affordable medicine, free speech, and food safety.

Anti-Flag are one of the most popular musical acts to emerge from Pittsburgh, and tour extensively performing politically charged punk rock that’s half circle pit, half picket line. The band issued the following statement ahead of the November 3rd concert: “The Rock Against The TPP shows that we have played across the US and Canada were so amazing that we had to curate one in our beloved hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh, an international epicenter of the labor movement  – a city where union loyalty and the fight for human rights courses through the veins of its citizens to this very day. The Rock Against The TPP shows are beyond educational, they’re inspirational. They are a true testament to music’s ability to bring people together and create positive change; a rally to energize us all to continue to fight against The TPP and all of the ills it will bring to the world.”

“The Trans-Pacific Partnership is not about ‘free trade,’ it’s about corruption,” said Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future and lead organizer of the tour, “we’re harnessing the power of music and culture to sound the alarm about this corporate power grab and stop it in its tracks.”

Organized by digital rights group Fight for the Future in partnership with legendary guitarist Tom Morello (Prophets of Rage, Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave) and riot-folk singer Ryan Harvey’s record label Firebrand Records, previous stops on the Rock Against the TPP tour have featured high-profile participants including actress Evangeline Lilly, hip hop icon Talib Kweli, comedian Hari Kondabolu, Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra, legendary punk band Anti-Flag, Danbert Nobacon of the UK sensation Chumbawamba, and ANTI records songwriter Jolie Holland. The roadshow has already drawn large crowds in Denver, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Toronto.

The Rock Against the TPP tour brings together a broad coalition of supporters including digital rights groups, labor unions, environmental groups, and small businesses, and is sponsored by Backbone Campaign, Citizens Trade Campaign, Communications Workers of America (CWA), CREDO, Demand Progress, Friends of the Earth, the International Labor Rights Forum, Public Citizen, Sierra Club, SumOfUs, the Teamsters, and United Steelworkers. The Pittsburgh stop was also backed by the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, PA Fair Trade Coalition, and Fight Back Pittsburgh.

For Interviews with artists or organizers, please contact Evan Greer at press@fightforthefuture.org or (978) 852-6457.

Learn more at https://www.rockagainstthetpp.org

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