On Wednesday 16th September Nitro issued a press release stating they would be holding a public discussion on the human zoo exhibition ‘Exhibit B’. Nitro, one of the organisations responsible for producing Exhibit B along with the Barbican and UK Arts International, have tilted the discussion ‘NITRO presents EXHIBIT B – THE DISCUSSION: LESSONS & LEGACY’. We find this misleading title both pre-emptive and presumptive title when considering the exhibition has not even been held yet. The arrogance of the title is further enhanced with Nitro’s shameless opportunistic attempt at self-promotion and the claiming of the conversation already being had. On the 3rd September 2014 UpRise contacted the Barbican Managing Director, Sir Nicholas Kenyon, stating ‘We feel it is also the duty of the Barbican to host an open discussion, which is independently organised and managed, to ensure an honest and lucid environment.’ At a meeting held between #boycottthehumanzoo, Barbican board members and senior management, UpRise was told that the Barbican would organise the public discussion through Nitro as UpRise wouldn’t be impartial, despite the organisation having vast experience in hosting public conversations, and Nitro being one of the exhibition producers. The Barbican irony continues. #boycottthehumanzoo and the coalition of organisations deem this eleventh hour reactionary token gesture as insincere and a distraction to deflect attention from the campaign objective, which is to have the work withdrawn. We will be in attendance only to ensure the real issues are not further derailed by the exhibition organisers and to ensure the campaign is not further vilified by the Barbican and the exhibition creator, Brett Bailey. The organisers of this exhibition have all stated this is about starting a conversation. Yet the director of UK Arts International has avoided communicating with the campaign, the performers have been censored from talking to us and the director of Nitro isn’t even in the country until October. The irony continues. The Barbican have yet to recognise they are reinforcing and perpetuating stereotype of mainstream media depiction of the Black Community through this commission, and their subsequent behaviour and reaction to the campaign. Immediately after a peaceful handover of over 20,000 signatures of opposition, Nitro contacted the campaign to say it had been claimed by the Barbican that campaigners stormed the building chanting ‘Black power’. A claim that is untrue. The campaign was also informed that the Barbican had received angry calls and we wish to make it clear that we will not allow the Barbican to state or infer these are connected in any way to the campaign, as they are not. We have been told that the Barbican wish to have increased security and police at the public discussion and may even pull out due to ‘safety reasons’. This rhetoric is something the Black Community has been well accustomed to for centuries. This is the subtle, and often not subtle, systemic and institutional racism that we encounter daily. Racism the institutions continuously deny, simply because they do not understand their racist actions. This is the racism the Barbican says it wishes to tackle while all perpetuating it itself. The irony continues. Our concern is that the Barbican will continue its trajectory to create the image that the campaigners are ‘angry’ and a ‘mob’ rather than the intelligent voice of reason we have so clearly expressed. It would then claim this would also be for ‘safety reasons’ to avoid it being held to account and accepting its error in presenting and supporting this racist work. That Brett Bailey and the Barbican do not know what racism in the UK means to those that experience it, is where the learning should be taking place. This exhibition must be withdrawn, and for the reason that it its intention to dissect ‘humanity’ is superseded by the work being ineffective in its intentioned to the point of becoming nothing more than propaganda. A propaganda that sees the campaign being vilified for standing up for justice. The show must NOT go on http://boycotthumanzoouk.com/ Then Nitro put out this: http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=f43be0960f4ac4c3f596fbac5&id=5b83a2359c&e=068eff03d1 And we respond with this: Nitro, one of the organisations responsible for producing Exhibit B along with the Barbican and UK Arts International, have titled the discussion ‘NITRO presents EXHIBIT B – THE DISCUSSION: LESSONS & LEGACY’. We find this a misleading, pre-emptive and presumptive title considering that the exhibition has not even been held yet. This arrogance is further enhanced with Nitro’s shameless opportunistic attempt at self-promotion and claims of a conversation already being had.' We have been emotionally manipulated into attending this public discussion and our feelings are very CLEAR we consider this another attempt to JUSTIFY Exhibit B. So we are actively ENCOURAGING EVERYONE WHO HAS SIGNED THE PETITION AND OR ATTENDED A RALLY TO COME TO THIS PUBLIC DISCUSSION. We will be rallying outside as well! We won't stop till they stop!!