Skip Nav | Home | Mobile | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Security | Support Us

World

Gay Rights leader murdered and mutilated in Kingston

OutRage! News Service | 10.06.2004 20:38 | Gender | Social Struggles | London | World

Jamaican Gay Leader Murdered. Jamaican PM urged: combat homophobic violence. OutRage! condemns the murder of Brian Williamson, a leading human rights campaigner in Jamaica and a founder of J-FLAG.

Jamaican Gay Leader Murdered.

Jamaican PM urged: combat homophobic violence

LONDON – “The Jamaican Prime Minster PJ Patterson must repeal the ban on homosexuality, order a police crackdown on homophobic hate-crime, ban dancehall lyrics that incite the murder of gay people, and initiate an education programme in schools to combat homophobic prejudice.”

The call comes from Brett Lock, speaking on behalf of queer rights group OutRage! in response to the latest homophobic murder in Jamaica which has claimed the life of one of the country’s leading gay activists, Brian Williamson.

Mr Lock also called on the British Home Secretary, David Blunkett, to “give a clear public undertaking that lesbian and gay Jamaicans fleeing persecution will be eligible for refuge in Britain.”

“This killing is a wake-up call to the Jamaican government and police. It’s time they stopped tolerating widespread violence against lesbian and gay Jamaicans. They are allowing queer-bashers to get away with murder. Killers of gays are almost never arrested and put on trial in Jamaica,” says fellow OutRage! campaigner Peter Tatchell.

OutRage! condemns the murder of Brian Williamson, a leading human rights campaigner in Jamaica and a founder of J-FLAG, the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays. Mr Williamson’s mutilated body with multiple stab wounds was found at his home by a friend.

J-FLAG has been campaigning since 1998 to overturn Jamaica’s harsh sodomy laws which outlaw homosexuality, punishable by 10 years hard labour. Violence against lesbians and gays is commonplace and is given free reign by the government’s refusal to tackle it. Queer-bashing is also fuelled by Jamaican popular music which glorifies the murder of gays.

OutRage! has been working very closely with J-FLAG over the past two years to draw international attention to the plight of lesbian and gay Jamaicans. Despite widespread homophobic violence, Home Secretary David Blunkett includes Jamaica on his so-called “white list” of supposedly safe countries. This has frustrated asylum appeals by lesbian and gay Jamaicans fleeing the violence and oppression.

“Because some of Mr Williamson’s possessions were missing, the Jamaican authorities are refusing to treat his murder as a hate crime” says Lock, “This is consistent with the Jamaican Government’s callous disregard for the rights and safety of lesbian and gay Jamaicans.”

OutRage! News Service
- e-mail: indymedia@outrage.org.uk
- Homepage: http://www.outrage.org.uk

Comments

Hide the following 4 comments

Jamaican addresses

11.06.2004 11:12




Addresses for protest letters etc....


The Rt. Hon. P.J.Patterson,
Prime Minister of Jamaica,
Jamaica House,
1 Devon Road,
Kingston 6, JAMAICA.

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

In the UK>

Her Excellency Miss Maxine Roberts,
Jamaican High Commission,
1-2 Prince Consort Road,
London SW. (sorry forgot the post code but letters should get there)

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

see also Amnesty Intl website and the LGBT section of Amnesty for more info on the
background for this. www.amnesty.org.uk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I hope Outrage will be staging a demo at the High Comm asap (with other groups) ???

Would it be safe to have a demo at the up coming Notting Hill Carnival-If that's still
going ? Suppose might have to be careful of Yardie types too. (??)

pirate


Vigil for Brian Williamson

11.06.2004 12:29

OutRage! is in the process of organising a vigil for Mr Williamson outside the Jamaican High Commissionin London. Final details will be anounced shortly, but we're asking other groups and individuals to please join us in remembering a fallen comrade and protesting the violent homophobia in Jamaica.

Brett Lock
mail e-mail: indymedia@outrage.org.uk


Brian's murder and police response not a surprise

14.06.2004 20:21

Brian was a very, very good friend of mine. He loved Gaymaica and envisioned creating change from within the country by his very presence. He was prepared to die trying. A few years ago, he immediately shut down Entourage, the gay club he operated after being attacked by a man with a machette. He moved to Canada then to London, returning to Canada and lastly to Jamaica. When he informed me he was back in the 'belly of the beast', my heart sank. I suspected he would be killed.

Moreover, I am NOT one bit surprised that the police claim the motive was robery. One supposes, if one hates anyone and kills them then empties the victim's pocket. The police would assume the motive to be pickpocketing. Those edyotts!

As far as I'm concerned, Brian Williamson will live on forever.....his death will not be in vain.

Bryan Feol
NYC

Bryan Feol
mail e-mail: feol@hotmail.com


BRIAN WILLIAMSON'S MURDERER GETS HIS

21.05.2006 20:09

TODAY, MAY 21, 2006, 2 YEARS AND 12 DAYS AFTER BRUTALLY MURDERING MY DEAR FRIEND, BRIAN WILLIAMSON, ONE OF HIS MURDERERS GETS "LIFE" (READ 15 YEARS BEFORE BEING ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE) IN PRISON.

BRIAN WILL NOT COME BACK. THE WORLD LOSES A STRONG SOUL TO INSANITY. THE VERMIN GETS FREE ROOM AND BOARD......

WELCOME TO GAYMAICA!!!!

BRYAN FEOL
mail e-mail: FEOL@HOTMAIL.COM


Publish

Publish your news

Do you need help with publishing?

/regional publish include --> /regional search include -->

World Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Server Appeal Radio Page Video Page Indymedia Cinema Offline Newsheet

secure Encrypted Page

You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.

If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech