Jamaican reggae superstar Buju Banton, who advocates shooting queers in the head, and who faces arrest on charges of queer-bashing, is about to begin a UK tour, including concerts in London, Manchester and Milton Keynes.

Banton kicks off his tour at the Hail Kings of Glory ’04 concert the Coronet cinema, Elephant and Castle, London SE1, this Sunday 19 September 2004.

He is also scheduled to perform at the Empire, South Row, Milton Keynes, on 22 September, and at the Bierkeller in Piccadilly Manchester on 23 September.

The Jamaican police have issued an arrest warrant for Buju Banton on charges of causing “grievous bodily harm” in a gay-bashing attack in Kingston, Jamaica, on 24 June 2004. This can be confirmed by contacting DCI Clive Driscoll of the Metropolitan police.

Despite Mr Banton being wanted on queer-bashing charges, his live concert in London is sponsored by the The Voice and New Nation newspapers.

“Banton's big hit song, Boom Bye Bye, incites the execution-style killing of gay and lesbian people. He urges listeners to shoot queers in the head, pour acid over them, set them alight, and burn them like car tyres,” said Peter Tatchell, of the gay human rights group OutRage!, which is lobbying to have Banton taken off the concert line-ups.

“Amnesty International and the Jamaican gay rights group J-Flag confirm that Buju Banton is wanted by the Jamaican police over an armed attack on a group of gay men in their home.

“The allegations of Banton’s involvement in this violent homophobic assault are corroborated by Amnesty International in a letter to Mr Banton dated 19 August 2004 (see excerpts from the Amnesty letter below).

“The existence of a warrant for Mr Banton’s arrest has been confirmed by Supt Thompson of the Jamaican police at Constant Spring police station to a BBC journalist based in Jamaica, and to a journalist from the Die Hamburg Morgenpost in Germany. In addition, one of the victims of the attack on 24 June was given the same confirmation from Constable Linton at Jamaica’s Constant Spring police station,” added Mr Tatchell.

Full Boom Bye Bye lyrics (and translations) below.

“Boom Bye Bye is probably the most murderous incitement recorded by any singer anywhere in the world,” added Tatchell.

“Banton still performs Boom Bye Bye, most recently on Sunday 8 August 2004 at the Smirnoff Festival in Negril, Jamaica, as reported in the Jamaican press.

“The record remains on sale. He re-released it on his recent Greatest Hits album.

“Banton is still making money from his incitement to kill gay people.

“Buju Banton's PR agents are falsely claiming he has apologised for these murderous lyrics. It is true that his record company put out an ‘apology’ some years ago, but Banton immediately denied apologising and even attacked his own record company for doing so. If he is sorry, why is Banton still performing Boom Bye Bye, re-releasing it, and making money out of it?

“Because Boom Bye Bye is Banton’s biggest ever hit, he nearly always performs it at live concerts,” said Mr Tatchell.

Banton’s 19 September concert at the Coronet is organised by Bagga John, CEO of BJ Productions, one of Britain’s leading reggae music promoters.

“We urge venue managements and local councils to use their licensing and contractual powers get Banton dropped from the concert line up,” added OutRage! co-organiser Brett Lock.

“Banton’s incitement of homophobic violence clearly contravenes the equal opportunities policies of the local authorities where his concerts are being held.

“If the venues will not willingly cancel Banton’s performance, Southwark and Manchester councils should oppose the renewal of their entertainment and alcohol licences. Giving a platform to a singer who encourages and glorifies the killing of other human beings is unacceptable. Any venue that promotes a pro-murder singer is unfit to hold a licence.

“Free speech does not include the right to commit the criminal offence of incitement to murder.

“With the prospect of protests by lesbian and gay rights campaigners, the police should urge cancellation of the concerts on the grounds that it may lead to public disorder and could result in homophobic violence by fans leaving the event, many of whom share Banton's aggressive hatred of lesbians and gay men.

“It is very important we stop this concert in order to show that 'murder music' does not pay.

“If violent homophobia becomes a popular musical genre, it will almost certainly be followed by a rise in anti-gay assaults”, said Mr Lock.

Amnesty International statement, 19 August 2004, issued by Susan Lee, Programme Director – Americas, International Secretariat, AI London:

“We can confirm that Amnesty International has received information from reputable national and international human rights organisations concerning reports that Buju Banton was involved in a homophobic attack. These reports take the form of statements that allege that on June 24 2004, six men were driven from their home and beaten by a group of armed men, and that the alleged assailants included Buju Banton (Mark Anthony Myrie). The reports further allege that this attack was apparently motivated by hatred of gay men: the victims reported that both before and during the attack the assailants had called the men “battymen” (homosexuals). Amnesty International is further aware that several of the alleged victims were interviewed by a Human Rights Watch researcher who was in Jamaica at the time. Amnesty International has also received reports that several of the alleged victims made official reports to the Constant Spring police station on 25 June 2004.“

Note:

For more background info on the “Stop Murder Music” campaign, see:
 http://www.outrage.org.uk/briefing.asp?ID=43

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Buju Banton

Boom Bye Bye

Summary:
This song incites the execution-style killing of gay and lesbian people,
by shooting them in the head, pouring acid over them or setting them
alight, and burning them like car tyres.

The Jamaican patios lyrics are followed, line by line, by translations into standard English

World is in trouble
World is in trouble

Anytime Buju Banton come
Anytime Buju Banton comes

Batty bwoy get up an run
Faggots get up and run

At gunshot me head back
After the gunshot, I walk away

Hear I tell him now crew (It's like..)
Hear I tell him now guys (It's like)

Chorus:
Boom bye bye
Boom (gun shot) bye bye (Goodbye, as in you're dead)

Inna batty bwoy head
In a faggot's head

Rude bwoy no promote no nasty man
Rude boy don't promote any nasty (queer) man

Dem haffi dead
They have to die

Boom bye bye
Boom bye bye

Inna batty bwoy head
In a faggot's head

Rude bwoy no promote no nasty man
Rude boy don't promote any nasty man

Dem haffi dead
They have to die

(Two man) Hitch up on an rub up on
(Two men) Get together and rub up against each other

An lay down inna bed
And lay down in bed

Hug up one another
Embrace each other

Anna feel up leg
And feel up each other's dick

Send fi di matic an
Send for the automatic (gun) and

Di Uzi instead
The Uzi (gun) instead

Shoot dem no come if we shot dem-
Shoot them, don't come if we shoot them

Don't want Jackie
Don't want Jackie

Give dem Paul instead
Give them Paul instead

Dem don't want di sweetness
They don't want the sweetness

Between di leg
Between the leg

Gal bend down backway
Girl bend down turn your back

An accept di peg
And accept the dick

An if it really hot
And if it really hot

You know she still naw gon fled
You know that she still won't flee

A some man
Some men

Still don't want di
Still don't want the

Panty raid
Panty raid

Pure batty business dem love (Me say...)
Pure bum business they love (I say...)

(Woman is di) Greatest thing
(Woman is the) Greatest thing

God ever put pon di land
God ever put on the land

Buju lovin dem from head
Buju loving them from their head

Down to foot bottom
Down to the soles of their feet

But some man a turn around
But some men are turning around

Where dem get that from
Where do they get that from

Peter is not for Janet
Peter is not for Janet

Peter is for John
Peter is for John

Suzette is not for Paul
Suzette is not for Paul

Suzette is for Ann
Suzette is for Ann

Where the bumbleclot
Where the bumble cloth (as in "Where the fuck")

Dem get dat from?
Did they get that from?

Here come the DJ
Here comes the DJ

Name Buju Banton
Name Buju Banton

(Come fi) (Straighten yuh talk?)
(Come to) (Straighten your talk?)

(Boom boom boom...) (as in gun shots)

(Caw me say) Dis is not an bargain (Me say)
(Because I say) This is not cheap talk (I say)

Dis is not a deal
This is not a deal

Guy come near we
If a guy comes near me

Then his skin must peel
Then his skin must peel
(Note: In Jamaica, pouring acid on an individual is a very common
revenge tactic)

Burn him up bad like an old tire wheel
Burn him up bad like an old tyre

((Wild? Wow?)) Buju Banton yuh ((tough?))
(Me say...)
(Me say..)

All a di New York crew
All the New York crew

Dem no promote Batty man
They don't promote queers

Jump an dance
Jump and dance

Unno push up unno hand
Everyone put up their hands

All di Brooklyn girl
All the Brooklyn girls

Dem no promote batty man
They don't promote faggots

Jump an bogle
Jump and bogle
(bogle is a type of dance)

Anna wine yuh bottom
And gyrate your bottom

Canadian gals dem no like batty man
Canadian girls, they don't like faggots

If yuh are not one
If you are not one

Yuh haffi push up
You have to put up (your hands)
(Me say...)


ENDS