May 31st We March
A peaceful protest will be taking place in London this coming Saturday to highlight that My Chemical Romance is not a ‘suicide cult’ - as they have been recently dubbed in the English media - but in fact a band that ‘wants to save your life.’ So far the press release for the details of the march has been as follows:
There will be a protest held in Hyde Park, on May 31st 2008, from 10am until 10pm. This protest is being held in order to raise awareness on My Chemical Romance’s acutely anti-suicide message and the serious issue of depression, especially in teenagers. A turnout of over 250 people is currently confirmed, predicted to at least double.
This is a peaceful protest in honour of US rock band, My Chemical Romance. Hundreds of fans will gather with one motive, to unite. We hope to show that My Chemical Romance is not a ‘suicide cult’ - as the Daily Mail has called them in a recent article - but simply a rock band that wants to save people’s lives. Depression is a serious thing and careless journalism runs the risk of trivializing it; especially as far as teenage depression is concerned. My Chemical Romance have always tried to ward their fans away from depression and aid them in seeking help, even going as far as to call suicide hotline numbers from the stage. Whereas, badly researched journalism is in danger of promoting irresponsible stereotyping and taking away from depression as a serious medical illness.
Many My Chemical Romance fans can be quoted saying, "MCR saved my life." Through their work and messages sent to the fans to look after themselves and love life, they help much of their fan base to survive depression. The Daily Mail condemns them to the opposite of this, backing their claims up with misquoted, out-of-context lyrics; avoiding lyrics such as, "I am not afraid to keep on living," from the song "Famous Last Words." Nor do they pick up on quotes such as the following, said by Gerard Way multiple times on their recent world tour, "If you find yourself depressed, hurt, like an outcast or feel that the only place you can fit in is at a show like this, that's not the case. We all do belong in this world and we all have a place in this world." On their DVD, released back in the Revenge era and widely adored amongst fans, the following message is spoken only minutes into the two-hour long clip; "We're definitely a band that wants to save your life."
There has also been some recent confusion as to what site is the authentic site for the protest, we can confirm that whatthefrank.co.uk (two T's, not one) is the official site with key information about the protest. However there is a duplicate site that has formulated which eerily mimics the genuine whatthefrank.co.uk. Please make sure you are on the correct site before adding your name to the list pledging that you will be present at the protest. Moreover this fraudulent site has spawned awful rumours of mass suicide which is of course is false. The protest will be conducted in a peaceful and respectful manner.
Date:May 30th, 2008
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