Police allow anti-gay rapper to perform
An anti-gay rapper known as Bounty Killer will be allowed to perform in London despite lyrics calling for the murder of gay people.
The singer, from Jamaica, has failed to sign the Reggae Compassion Act (RCA), whereby performers promise not to incite homophobic hatred.
The Metropolitan police had previously stated that only those artists who sign the agreement would be allowed to perform, but the Bounty Killer concert is being allowed as long as he refrains from performing any songs with homophobic lyrics.
“Big deal,” said Peter Thatchell, gay rights activist and coordinator of the worldwide Stop Murder Music campaign.
“A white racist singer who advocated killing black people would not be allowed to perform anywhere in London, even if he agreed to not incite the killing of black people at his concert.
“The police would argue that any stage performance by a white racist singer would risk public disorder and damage community cohesion. They would ban him, full stop,” Mr Thatchell continued.
“Yet when it comes to straight homophobic singers who urge the murder of gay people, the police adopt a softer stance. They let the concert go ahead. It’s bare-faced hypocrisy.”
The concert takes place at the Stratford Rex venue in East London on Sunday November 23rd.
In March this year, police in Bradford and Birmingham stopped Bounty Killer’s concerts from going ahead, saying that they would have undermined good community relations.
Previous Bounty Killer lyrics include: “You know we need no promo to rub out dem homo.” It roughly translates as: “You know we don’t need prompting to kill a homo.”
