Elephant Man and Sizzla's anti-gay pasts caught up with them.
The dance hall performers' promises to steer clear of homophobic lyrics apparently fell on deaf ears, because Toronto's Kool Haus canceled their respective performances.
Entertainers Elephant Man and Sizzla were scheduled to perform last Friday night and Oct. 5 respectively, but both Jamaicans have been under fire from human rights organizations who say their lyrics are homophobic and incite violence against gays.
Akim Larcher, founder of Stop Murder Music Canada – a coalition made up of 20 organizations that promote human rights – says the federal government has remained silent in this issue.
"They shouldn't have been allowed to get visas to perform in the country. It's not about censorship or artistic freedom. That stops when hate propaganda is involved," says Larcher.
Sizzla had previously signed the Reggae Compassion Act, but apparently he didn't stick to his hateful word.
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It's interesting that this happened in Canada where they are laws that make hate language a criminal offense. Anti-gay lyrics which promote violence are illegal.
Could this happen in the USA or does the First Amendment allow any body to say anything, anywhere? God Bless Canada!!
Kudos to the management of the Kool Haus… The manager didn't know about the homophobia until just recently – and stated that if he had known, he would never have booked these haters…
The suppression of hate mongers is not a question of making allowances for cultural differences or artistic expression. Nor does the working class background of some of the performers or the colonial legacy of poverty excuse them.
They advise listeners to murder and torture us, and some of them follow their own advice in Jamaica.
Efforts to deny them income and stop their performances or deny them entry visas are an excellent start, but this is purely and simply a question of criminality. They’re guilty of murder, torture and terrorism just as much as Der Pope and Pat Robertson are. People get killed because of their hatemongering. They've already committed the crime. It's time to indict them, try them and depending on the jurisdiction, imprison them or hang them.
the reason they talk so harshly about gays, is their strong religious beliefs.
btw, fuck gays. kill em all. hahah. and fuck canada too. cept for the ganja.
Fuck you, Chason. Have an open mind. What if the homosexual community sang about killing straight people??? It wouldn't be accepted. Therefore, it is only fair for you give us the same courtesy. And thier RELIGION DOES NOT GIVE THEM AN EXCUSE!!!!! They are doing this of thier own free will, and they CHOOSE to sing those songs. They don't have to, they have a choice. And they chose WRONG!
Now is the time that everything is changing; more and more people everyday are becoming more nad more openminded and accepting to GLBT people. Hopefully, we will progress from here.
BTW guys, I think that the rest of you are right and I'm glad that these guys are getting the rest of thier concerts cancelled. They deserve it.
Just remember, Bill, that we can't swoop down to their level. They call for the excution of GLBT people, and by sending them out of the country we may not exactly be giving them justice, but it is the more moral thing to do.
Thanks
ZeeLee