BIRMINGHAM, August 31, 2004:  −  A pop star who advocates “shooting queers” because he says that “they bring AIDS and disease upon people” is scheduled to play in Birmingham at the White Pearl Club this Friday, September 3,  2004.

Top Jamaican reggae music singer Sizzla Kalonji (real name, Miguel Orlando Collins) is currently performing concerts to break into the lucrative UK market.

His hit tune Pump Up has the line “Shot battybwoy, my big gun boom”. (Shoot queers, my big gun goes boom - see full lyrics and stage comments below.)

Battybwoy is a derogatory Jamaican patios insult, similar to faggot, poof and queer.

Sizzla has refused to apologise for his incitements to murder lesbians and gay men. At a concert in Chicago in April 2002 he told the audience: “I won’t take back my words…I kill sodomites and queers, they bring AIDS and disease upon people…shoot and kill them”.

Sizzla’s “kill gays” songs are still in circulation. He has not withdrawn them. He is still profiteering from his murder music.

Gay human rights group OutRage! is now helping coordinate a worldwide “Stop Murder Music” campaign.

OutRage! urges sponsors, promoters and venue owners to cancel Sizzla’s concerts on the grounds that he incites the murder of gays and lesbians, and that his performance may lead to public disorder and to homophobic hate crimes,” said Peter Tatchell of OutRage!.

“No one would give a platform to a singer who advocated killing black or Jewish people. A performer who brazenly glorifies and encourages the murder of lesbians and gay men should not be rewarded with concerts and financial success.

“Securing the cancellation of Sizzla’s concert is very important. By hitting him in the pocket, it will help pressure Sizzla and other anti-gay Jamaican singers to abandon their murderous incitements. Once they start losing money, they will soon drop their violent lyrics. Driving homophobia out of Jamaican music will have a huge positive impact on Jamaican culture and attitudes – to the benefit of all lesbian and gay Jamaicans.”

“In a free society, Sizzla has a right to criticize homosexuality.  But he does not have a right to advocate the killing of lesbians and gay men. He has over-stepped the mark.”

“Free speech does not include the right to encourage the killing of other human beings. Incitement to murder is a criminal offence. We want his concerts axed because he endorses violent hate crimes, not because he insults gay people,” said Mr Tatchell.

“Inciting murder is a criminal offence under UK law. He is a threat to public order and could provoke hate violence against lesbians and gays

“The Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service are currently conducting a criminal investigation into Sizzla Kalonji over allegations that their lyrics commit the criminal offence of incitement to murder,” added Mr Tatchell.

“Sizzla Kalonji does not merely express his disapproval of homosexuality. He call for all homosexuals to be killed and incite their listeners murder gays and lesbians. This goes way beyond an acceptable expression of opinion. Lesbian and gay people have a right to live their lives free from threats to kill them,” says Brett Lock of OutRage! and co-organiser of the Stop Murder Music campaign.

OutRage! has written to the White Pearl Club urging them to take immediate action to ensure that the invitation for Sizzla to perform at the venue is withdrawn.

“No club would host a singer who promoted killing black or Jewish people or attacking religious minorities or the disabled. We ask the White Pearl Club to adopt the same stance towards singers who incite the murder of lesbians and gay men. “ added Mr Lock.

Murder music lyrics by Sizzla Kalonji

Lyrics in Jamaican patios, with the standard English translation underneath in brackets [ ].

Sizzla - Pump Up

Step up inna front line [Step up to the front line]
fire fi di man dem weh go ride man behind [burn the men who have sex with men from behind]
Shot battybwoy, my big gun boom [Shoot queers, my big gun goes boom]
See: http://reggaesound.com/lyric/main.php?mod=lyric&id=440

Sizzla – Boom Boom

Boom boom! Batty boy them fi dead [Boom boom (as in gunshots) Queers must be killed]
See: http://www.unitysounds.com/riddims/audio/REDboomb.rm

At a reggae concert in Chicago on 12 April 2002, Sizzla bragged that he kills queers, and also incited the audience to murder gays and lesbians:

"mi nuh go tek back mi chat... mi kill sodomite and batty man dem bring aids and disease pon people... shot a kill dem, mi nuh go tek back mi chat" [I wont take back my words…I kill sodomites and queers, they bring AIDS and disease upon people…shoot and kill them, I won’t take back my words.]
See: http://www.chicagoreggae.com/sizzla.htm

A report by Amnesty International, dated 17 May 2004, about a reggae concert in Jamaica earlier this year, documented Sizzla and other reggae stars abusing and threatening to kill gay men.

"Throughout the night, Capleton, Sizzla and others sang almost exclusively about gay men. Using the derogatory terms for gay men - "chi chi men" or ‘battybwoys’ - they urged the audience to ‘kill dem, battybwoys haffi dead, gun shots pon dem. Who want to see dem dead, put up his hand’ [kill them, queers have got to die, gun shots in their head, whoever wants to see them dead, put up your hand]
See: http://www2.amnesty.se/hbt.nsf/actjamaica?OpenPage

In an interview by Richard Burnett in the Canadian entertainment magazine ‘Hour’ on 19 August 2004, Sizzla said:

"…burn sodomite, burn battyman. Burn all things that are wrong. Burn it... We must get rid of Sodom and Gomorrah right now…”
See: http://hour.ca/music/music.aspx?iIDArticle=3876

Useful Links

Outrage! web site

Stop Murder Music Campaign

 31 August, 2004