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London’s New Police Chief Soft on Homophobia, Claims Gay Activist

Sir Paul Stephenson approved murder music singer
 

Commentary by Peter Tatchell

LONDON, January 29,  2009  –  The new Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, has a sometimes poor record when it comes to tackling homophobia and supporting the LGBT community.

Only last November, he approved and facilitated a London concert by Jamaican murder music singer, Bounty Killer.  

The Met Police does not allow racist singers to perform in London. Why the double standards?

The Commissioner is hypocritical on hate crimes.  He permits homophobic singers to perform in London, but not racist ones.  Racist artists are banned on the grounds that they are a threat to public order and good community relations.

This same principle should be applied in the case of homophobic singers.  It isn’t.

Sir Paul is part of the problem.  He gave Bounty Killer the green light to perform, even though the singer was on record as inciting the murder of lesbian and gay people.

OutRage! is urging people to protest to the new Met Commissioner, urging him to in future adopt a zero tolerance policy towards singers who advocate homophobic violence and murder, on the grounds that allowing them to perform threatens public order and community cohesion.

You can email Sir Paul Stephenson: commissioner at met.police.uk

Please stress that the issue is not offensive homophobic language, but incitement to murder LGBT people, which is a criminal offence.

■  Peter Tatchell wrote to Sir Paul last November, when he was Acting Commissioner, appealing to him to block Bounty Killer’s concert.  He refused.

SEE ALSO

Police Allow Anti-Gay Singer to Perform – But Their Computer Hates Emails with His Offensive Words.  The computer at London’s Metropolitan Police is more sensitive to homophobia that the humans who staff the police force, it appears.  (UK Gay News, November 21, 2008)

Tatchell Fumes at Cops and Home Secretary Over Anti-Gay Singer’s Concert.  The concert of the Jamaican “kill faggots” singer Bounty Killer is ahead this Sunday in London with the official sanction of the Home Secretary and the Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.  And the police say that unless there are threats of disturbances they will not cancel the concert.  (UK Gay News, November 21, 2008)

Why Has the London Police Broken the Agreement on Anti-Gay Reggae ‘Murder Music’?  Editorial.  It is astonishing that a Jamaican reggae singer who features lyrics enticing violence against gays – and even murder – in his repertoire should be performing in the United Kingdom.  But this is what is about to happen on Sunday when Bounty Killer (real name Rodney Basil Price), who styles himself as “Di 5 Star General”, is scheduled to perform in East London at the Stratford Rex this weekend.  (UK Gay News, November 18, 2008)

Capleton Concert Cancelled in Basel After Singer Continued to Urge Violence Against Gays.  A major reggae concert with the Jamaican singer Capleton, that had been scheduled to take place last night (November 6) in Basel, Switzerland, was cancelled at the last minute by the organisers, according to Homosexuelle Arbeitsgruppen Basel (HABS), the local LGBT rights group.

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