Anti-gay reggae singer performing in Cph

Reggae star who sings about killing homosexuals will perform at a Copenhagen music venue tonight

Music venue Pumpehuset has withdrawn its threat to cancel a concert by Jamaican reggae singer Sizzla because of his anti-gay rhetoric. The concert will go ahead tonight.

Sizzla, whose real name is Miguel Orlando Collins, has urged people, through his lyrics, to kill homosexuals. In 2007, however, he signed the Reggae Compassionate Act along with other notable reggae stars.

The document states that musicians must not encourage or contribute to homophobia and violent expression in their recorded music or while onstage.

But Sizzla has continued to use harsh anti-gay rhetoric in some of his performances. Homosexuality is forbidden in Jamaica and punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

Christian Langballe, Pumpehuset’s manager, said last week that Sizzla must publicly renounce his anti-gay position or the concert would be cancelled.

According to an interview with Politiken newspaper, Sizzla said he was ‘a role model’ for young people in Jamaica and stood by his anti-gay stance. He was quoted as saying he only signed the Act so he could continue performing in Europe.

‘No one can stop me from telling people what I believe is right. I just don’t do it officially anymore,’ he said in the interview.

But Sizzla today issued a statement indicating his quotes had been 'misconstrued'.

'It is clear that what I have said has been misconstrued in an interview I have given. Since I have been on this tour, some interviewers who are granted interviews in good faith may have other motives or axes to grind. But I have none. I believe in peace, equal rights and justice for all mankind,' said the musician.

A spokesman for Pumpehuset said the statement was enough for them to go ahead with Sizzla's show.

Comments

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tom1980

|2009-10-16 22:31:26

Just bloody cancel it, I'm sure the show will be a load of crap anyway.

Let me guess...pimping, ho-ing and driveby are all on the menu.

magic1964 - RACISM again.....

|2009-10-17 11:13:53

No !!! you can´t cancel a concert made by a black musician.....it´s called RACISM !!!!!!!!!
Strange I don´t hear amnesty or other human rights organisations....if he was a white musician from Texas we would have 2 days riots in CPH...

JFD - Race card doesn't play

|2009-10-19 12:21:54

Magic: Despite the racial undertones in Toms' comments, the race card just doesn't play here.

The article clearly states that the concert is being considered for cancellation because of the anti-homosexual sentiment. It has nothing to do with him being black. In fact, if anyone being prejudicial, and by extension of that racist, it is YOU with your comments abouts white muscians from Texas.

We are at the point now where blacks enjoy a wonderful double standard on racism. For example, the whole world got in a fuss about an Austrialian group's black-faced Michael Jackson performance, but the Wayan Brothers made a movied called "White Chicks" completely steroetyping whites and that was and still is socially acceptable. In hiphop, blacks use the N-word often, but God-forbid anyone else ever say or even write that word. This is why I am sick of people shouting racist when a non minority points out a facet of a minority's culture that they themselves perpetuate.

But back to the issue at hand, why shouldn't the concert be cancelled? Even though Denmark is fiercely protective of its free speach, the law (and common sense) exempts speach inciting vilolence towards others.

Although I agree with Tom hat this is a load of crap, and believe me, I strongly oppose homosexuality and our society acceptance of it, no one should be allowed to incite violence against homosexuals in guise of art/music and free speach.

magic1964

|2009-10-19 20:23:56

So in Denmark blacks, immigrants and muslims are automaticly granted with more rights..... in this case a black person have the rights to incite violence and murder against homosexual !!! this musician even get an interview with Politiken to promote his concert !!!!

wor - Actually...

|2009-10-26 15:42:59

What about???

SIZZLA

1)Pumpehuset should have simply informed Sizzla about Straffeloven 266b, and that it means that people can not incite hatred towards people based on the sexual orientation or evne their SKIN COLOUR.
2)Pumpehuset should have then asked for aset list of songs that are to be performed and then stipulate that homophobic songs are not permitted
3)Sizzla should then be allowed to play his gig (otherwise he has been presummed guilty without actually commiting an offence...this gives him grounds to claim discrimination - is that what gay activists want?)
3)Gay activists should have informed the police about a possible breach of Straffeloven 266b adn then asked for some police (plane clothed) to be in attendance at the gig
4)If songs that breach straffeloven 266b are performed the gig should be shut down immediately and Sizzla arrested, and prosecuted.

DOUBLE STANDARDS

"We are at the point now where blacks enjoy a wonderful double standard on racism"...I don't think so! If you look back in history you will see that this double standard on racism has never worked in favour of black people.
For example, blacks fighting for the US during WW2 against NAZIs, whilst being treated as less than 2nd class citizens in their own country.
What about European countries and firms dealing with South Africa during appartheid whilst the law in their own land does not allow appartheid.
The list could go on...BUT I think the use of the N word by blcaks is not due to a double standard but more to a "self depricating ignorance".

N WORD

The use of the N word by blacks is mainly a PERCULIARITY of blacks in America. Jamaican music does not "generally" use the N word, and blacks outside of america do not "generally" use the N word.
Use of the N word maybe on the increase outside of America due to the popularity of some forms of rap music, and IGNORANCE about the N word.Although I have not been to Jamaica myself, but growing up in south London I can honestly say that blacks outside of America know the N word is a bad word to use. One of the few times I have directly seen a black person in London use the N word towards another black person was when a fight was about to break out!!!
If you compare black comedians from America to those outisde of america, you will notice that the black American comedians use the N word alot. I can't think of any non-american black comedians that uses the N word as part of their act.
Using the N word towards a black person is as offensive as calling a white person racist...think about that last one. It seems that blacks in America are still trying to define their identity. I back this up by referring to the different words used to refer to black americans by black americans over the past decades: Negro, colored, black, African American, N word.
In Europe and outisde of America black people are just refered to as black people more often than not.

WHITE CHICKS and "BLACK" COMEDY

I,ve seen this film, and thought it was brilliant. There are sterotypes in this film, but none of them depict white people as racists, and the only people with racists attitudes in the film are the black people.
The Wayans are two FBI cops who are so stupid that they tend to mess things up, and because of this they are given a very easy to do task by their (black) boss to look after two "Paris Hilton sister types" for a couple of hours,
BUT the Wayans are so stupid they even end up messing up such a simple task...and in the end the two sisters refuse to leave the room they are in, SO the brothers decide to impersonate the two sisters and go to some high society event so that they don't get fired.

What the Wayans do is basically an "impersonation" of two high society Paris Hilton types, who just happen to be white. But the change of colour and sex thing allows them to play with OUR PREDJUDICES.
Throughout the film one of the Wayans is being chased by this big black guy with muscles and at one point one of the Wayans uses the N word in a very funny way whilst being made up as one of the white chicks at the beech.On the way home from the beach this Wayan is confronted by the other white girls and told that they disagree with her/his use of the N word, and he is left to try and climb his way out of a hole.
In another scene, the wife of one of the Wayans tracks him down to a hotel where she sees a white chick (actually a Wayan) coming out of her husbands hotel room. She is more angry at the fact that it is a white chick more than than the fact that could be another woman.
In a scene near the end, this black guy with big muscles who is chasing one of the Wayans clad as a white chick, has this Wayan reveal to him that he is not a white chick but actually a black man...this black guy who has been chasing her/him says something like "I could still love you if you were a man, but you being black I just can't do"...very funny :-)
So like I said the film does not stereotype white people in a bad way, but has the Wayans actually making the themselves and other non-white characters look bad.

I saw another Wayan film a long time ago where they were in some black american ghetto, and there was a sprots day...street olympics. The main event was the 100m dash, all the runners were black, and they had to see who was the fastest to run 100m with a TV set on the shoulder. Very funny.

Typically, black comedians give their hardest blows towards black people. For example. There is a British comedian called Lenny Henry, and he has a sketch where he is the only black person who goes for a job that he is obviously not qualified for (like a childrens ballerina role). Lenny's character gets rejected, but then he says "I see, it's because I'm a black man", to all the white folkes...and then the camera cuts to him doing the job with all these white folkes cringing as he got the job because he played the race card :-)
In yet another, Dave Chappelle (whose writing partner is white) has a sketch where the US government decides to pay reperations for slavery...then there is a sudden boom in the economy, and you see scenes of black guys buying truck loads of cigarettes, TVs etc. The point being to ask black folkes what would you do with the money anyway?
SEE THE FILM and you'll find I'm right...or wrong :-)

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Anti-gay reggae singer performing in Cph

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