“Burn all white people”, says reggae star

“Kill gays” singer UK on tour

Stop Sizzla’s UK concerts, urges OutRage!

Police urged: use Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001

Metropolitan Police investigate Sizzla’s incitement to murder gays

London - 27 October 2004

“Burn all white people,” says top Jamaican reggae star, Sizzla
Kalonji.

Racist singer, Sizzla, is on a five-city UK concert tour from 3rd to
8th November 2004 - including Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, London
and Milton Keynes (dates and venues below).

Sizzla is notorious for his racist outbursts, most notably his
incitement to murder white people at the 1998 Reggae Sumfest Festival
in Montego Bay, Jamaica (details below).

The racist performer has also urged his listeners to kill gay people.
One of his songs, Boom Boom, says: “Queers must be killed.” Another,
Pump Up, says: “Shoot queers.”

At a concert, in Chicago in April 2002, Sizzla boasted to his audience
that he personally kills homosexuals: “I kill sodomites and queers,
they bring AIDS and disease upon people…shoot and kill them”.

Sizzla (real name, Miguel Orlando Collins) has released records
inciting the murder of lesbians and gays.

His hit tune Pump Up has the line: “Shot batty bwoy, my big gun boom”.
(Shoot queers, my big gun goes boom).

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

See full details and references for Sizzla’s “kill gays” lyrics and
stage comments at the end of this news release.

“Sizzla has refused to apologise for his incitements to murder white
people and to kill lesbians and gay men,” said Peter Tatchell of the
gay human rights group OutRage!.

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 He has not withdrawn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

“We urge sponsors, promoters and venue owners to cancel Sizzla’s
concerts on the grounds that he incites racist and homophobic
violence.

“His encouragement to kill white people stirs up racial hatred and
violence.

“Sizzla’s songs promote the murder of gays and lesbians. His
performances may lead to public disorder and to homophobic and racist
hate crimes.

“OutRage! is also urging the police to stop the concert, using their
powers under Section 17, sub-section 179(a) of the Criminal Justice
and Police Act 2001. These powers allow the police to order the
closure of a licensed venue if they believe:
‘(a) there is likely to be disorder on, or in the vicinity of and
related to, the premises and the closure of the premises is necessary
in the interests of public safety’.

“Many of Sizzla’s fans share his violent homophobia. There is a real
danger they may attack gay people innocently passing by.

“Some of Sizzla’s concert venues are very close to gay bars and clubs.
We fear his fans may threaten, intimidate and even assault gay people
entering or leaving these venues.

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

“Securing the cancellation of Sizzla’s concerts 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
Jamaicans, gay and straight.

“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,” said Mr Tatchell.

“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 tour cancelled because he endorses violent hate crimes, not
because he insults gay people.

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

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

“Sizzla Kalonji does not merely express his disapproval of
homosexuality,” said Brett Lock of OutRage! and co-organiser of the
Stop Murder Music campaign.

“He calls for all homosexuals to be killed and incites his listeners
to 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.”

“OutRage! is urging concerned members of the public to write to the
venues, sponsors, local councillors, the police, their MPs and
community leaders to register their protest.

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

For Further Information:

Brett Lock (OutRage!)
Telephone: 0770 843 5917
Email:  brett@outrage.org.uk

Peter Tatchell (OutRage!)
Telephone 0207 403 1790

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

- - - - - - - - - - - -


At the 1998 Sumfest Reggae concert in Jamaica, Sizzla urged his
audience to “Burn all white people”:
"Sizzla sported controversy when he made public endorsements at the
1998 Reggae Sumfest Festival in Montego Bay. During his performance he
agitated his audience, and in particular the world press, after
denouncing Queen Elizabeth II, homosexuals, and even the Sumfest
Festival. He saved his most controversial racist diatribe for the
finale when he stated, "Burn all white people in Jamaica", this led to
a stunned silence from the multi-racial crowd. His attempts to win
approval failed, which resulted in a talented performer being regarded
as an embarrassment to Jamaican music"
See:  http://www.icebergradio.com/artist.asp?artist=24340


“Kill gays” Murder Music lyrics by Sizzla Kalonji

Lyrics in Jamaican patois, 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


Sizzla - Get To Da Point

Sodomite and batty bwai mi seh a death fi dem
[Sodomite and queers, I say death to them]

Mi no trust babylon fi a second yah so
[I don’t trust Babylon for a second]

Mi a go shot batty bwai dem widdi weapon ya
[I go and shoot queers with a weapon]
See:  http://www.dancehallreggae.com/lyricsview.aspx?songid=1275


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


Sizzla UK Tour

Murder-music singer Sizzla has a UK concert tour from 3 – 8 November
2004.

3 Nov – Empire – Milton Keynes
4 Nov - Town & Country Club - Bradford
5 Nov - Aston Villa Leisure - Birmingham
6 Nov – Stratford Rex - London
8 Nov - Carling Academy – Bristol

The contact details for the venues are:

EMPIRE
Empire:  nicky@empire-mk.co.uk
Manger: Nicky Harris
Telephone: 01908 394 074

TOWN & COUNTRY CLUB
Email:  paul@bradfordrio.com
Manager: Paul Mastrantuono
Telephone: 01274 224488

ASTON VILLA LEISURE
Email:  bshutt2512@aol.com
Manager: Sue Ryall
Telephone: 0121 246 6040

STRATFORD REX:
Email:  bobby_popat@btconnect.com
Events Manager: Sheldon Atkinson
Telephone: 0208 555 9966

CARLING ACADEMY
Telephone: Tel: 0117 927 9227
General Manager: Helen Spillane:
Email:  helen@bristol-academy.co.uk
Deputy Manager: Louise Stamp:
Email:  louise@bristol-academy.co.uk

ENDS