Malaysian band Bunkface has become the center of a firestorm courtesy of the band’s new track “Akhir Zaman” which calls for putting queer people to death.
Akhir Zaman, which translates to “end of times,” contains the lyric “LGBT pergi mampus.” Translated to English, it can mean “go to Hell LGBT” or “die LGBT.”
Related: Malaysia under fire for caning men convicted of attempted gay sex
The video, which landed on YouTube last week, already has more than three-quarters of a million views and has prompted some LGBTQ activists to call for its removal, as the lyrics qualify as hate speech. The video has also attracted plenty of anti-queer comments from Bunkface fans. Twitter has also seen both condemnations and celebrations of the song’s hateful lyrics.
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Ok I thought this was just a joke, but pop punk band @bunkfaceband just released a supposedly rebellious song #AkhirZaman with lyrics like “mana pergi semua duit rakyat” but ALSO “LGBT pergi mampus”. This is malicious for a band of its popularity. Screencap of its lyrics MV: pic.twitter.com/y9OUs1XZsC
— Zurairi A.R. (@zurairi) February 26, 2020
Bunkface has only responded to the controversy with vague comments on Twitter. “Are you angry? Don’t get mad,” the band tweeted last week, alongside the song title in a hashtag. The band has also retweeted homophobic comments from fans.
At the time of this writing, neither YouTube nor Twitter has issued bans on the video.
Smith David
Who? Child who are these little kids? Already forgotten. Bye Girls!
Cam
Probably all sleeping together.
Cam
Youtube doesn’t care about homophobia.