REPLY TO THE BROTHERS OF REGGAE

STOP MURDER MUSIC CAMPAIGN:
REPLY TO THE BROTHERS
OF REGGAE-UNITÉ BLOG
ON THE SUBJECT
OF THE SIZZLA CONCERT
AT L’ÉLYSÉE MONTMARTREEN
Release No.TR10INT11E
Paris, Monday 30 August 2010
_
Dear Brothers,
Tjenbé Rèd, the Afro-Caribbean association for the struggle against all forms
of racism, homophobia and AIDS, has noticed with a certain amount of
sadness the entry published on Thursday on your Reggae-Unité Blog, entitled
«Sizzla’s concert at l’Élysée Montmartre [Paris] threatened again». In fact,
several of the comments put forward in this entry do not correspond to any of
our observations or declarations.
It is therefore claimed: «Following the recent concert cancellations in Belgium
and France, we have just learned that Sizzla will longer participate in the
Chiemsee Reggae Summer festival in Germany for the same reasons». What
«reasons»? Nothing explains it in the blog entry, if not the text which follows.
«This situation is not about to stop as the person responsible (?) in the
association [Tjenbé Rèd] has just announced that his association will also take
action to get the Sizzla concerts due for 23 September in Montpellier [France]
and on 24 September at l’Élysée Montmartre [Paris]». You need therefore to
read between the lines to understand that the international Stop Murder
Music (SMM) campaign, of which Tjenbé Rèd is the co-ordinator in France, is
supposed to be at the root of «recent concert cancellations in Belgium and
France» and «in Germany».
This corresponds neither to our observations nor to our declarations.
According to the information we have, only two of Sizzla’s concerts have
recently been cancelled - at Palavàs-les-Flots in France (21 August) and at
Messancy in Belgium (25 August). What is more, there is no proof that these
concerts were cancelled because of the SMM campaign. We have already
TJENBÉ RÈD ! Association de lutte contre les homophobies, les racismes & le sida
Courriel : [email protected] | MSN : [email protected]
Myspace : http://www.myspace.com/tjenbered | Site Internet : http://www.tjenbered.fr/
Ligne d’écoute et d’information : +33 (0)6 10 55 63 60 (24h/24, répondeur à certaines heures)
Siège national : 113, boulevard Voltaire, 75011 Paris
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observed that the followers of this artist often provide explanations for some
concert cancellations that are hardly credible. So, in May 2008, they had
accused the SMM of being responsible for the cancellation of several
concerts, while the more trite explanation was that he had been turned away
at the frontier because of problems with his visa. Again, in February 2010 the
Reggae.fr site announced the cancellations on new concerts, mentioning «his
recent arrest in Jamaica for firing off gunshots», while Reggaefrance.com
announced the following day that he was at the birthday party of Robert
Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe (equally notorious for homophobic and
racists comments).
Furthermore, we have not asked for the cancellation of these two concerts. In
several communications which we have signed or co-signed, (on 2 February, 1
March, 15 April, then on 5, 19, 21, 23 and 28 August, just to talk about this
current year), we have simply informed the general public of the calls for
murder issued by the artist in question and we have called for democratic
action to respect human rights.
One might be astonished that you pass over in silence these calls for murder.
Let us quote from the text as the remarks of great men are always edifying.
«Shot battybwoy, my big gun boom» («Shoot queers, my big gun goes boom»,
from Pump Up, 2001); «Boom boom! Batty boy them fi dead» («Boom boom!
[as in gunshots] Queers must be killed», from Boom Boom, 2004); «Sodomite
and batty bwai mi seh a death fi dem... Mi a go shot batty bwai dem widdi
weapon ya» («Sodomite and queers, I say death to them… I go and shoot
queers with a weapon», from Get To Da Point, 2001). In Chicago, 2002, Sizzla
declared: «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]».
An Amnesty International report describes a concert held in 2004 in the
following terms: «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].»
We hope these details will be able to clear up some misunderstanding. We are
always at your disposal for any further information.
One love!
For Tjenbé Rèd (Afro-Caribbean association for the struggle against all forms of homophobia,
racism and AIDS)
Chair, David AUERBACH CHIFFRIN
+33 6 10 55 63 60 (France) | +596 6 96 05 24 55 (West Indies)
Fax: +33 1 76 50 59 79 | [email protected]
TJENBÉ RÈD ! Association de lutte contre les homophobies, les racismes & le sida
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[3] 13 juillet 2010 - Photographies de la manifestation de Tjenbé Rèd lors de la venue de
Capleton à l’Élysée Montmartre à Paris
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100713-99.html
[2] 26 août 2010 - Le concert de Sizzla à l’Élysée Montmartre encore menacé !!! (Reggae-Unité
Blog)
http://reggaeunite.blogspot.com/2010/08/nu-roots-news-aout-2010_26.html
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100826-99.pdf
[1E] 28 August 2010 - Stop Murder Music Campaign: Concert by homophobic singer Sizzla
cancelled in Belgium - Press release No. TR101NT11E
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100828-09.pdf [en]
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100828-00.pdf [fr]
http://blogs.tetu.com/outre_mers_et_pairs/2010/08/29/sizzla-2/ [fr]
http://www.lepost.fr/ [fr]
[1D] 23 August 2010 - Right of reply to «Midi Libre» following its article of 18 august 2010 on
Sizzla and the «gay lobbies» - Press release No. TR10INT11D
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100823-09.pdf [en]
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100823-00.pdf [fr]
http://www.heterhomo.org/Concert-de-Sizzla-Tjenbe-Red [fr]
http://www.pinkphenix.com/ [fr]
[1C] 21 août 2010 - Campagne Stop Murder Music - Sizzla à Montpellier : «Butte les pédés,
mon flingue va tirer» ?! - Communiqué de presse n°TR10INT11C
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100821-00.pdf
[1B] 19 August 2010 - Stop Murder Music Campaign: Concert by homophobic singer Sizzla
cancelled - Joint press release from Tjenbé Rèd, OutRage! and Couleurs gaies (Metz LGBT
Centre) - Press release No. TR10INT11B
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100819-09.pdf [en]
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100819-00.pdf [fr]
[1A] 5 August 2010 - Stop Murder Music Campain - Sizzla in France: «Shoot queers»?!
(Signatories send out an alert to human rights organisations in Languedoc-Roussillon) - Joint
press release from OutRage! (London), Tjenbé Rèd, Girofard (Bordeaux LGBT Centre),
Couleurs gaies (Metz LGBT Centre) - Press release No. TR10INT11
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100805-09.pdf [en]
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100805-00.pdf [fr]
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TJENBÉ RÈD ! Association de lutte contre les homophobies, les racismes & le sida
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English translation of this French original text. In the event of any differences between the
English translation and the French original, the French text shall prevail. Translated by T. E.
30 août 2010 - Campagne Stop Murder Music : Réponse aux frères du blog Reggae-Unité au
sujet du concert de Sizzla à l’Élysée Montmartre - Communication n°TR10INT11F
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100830-00.pdf [fr]
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100830-09.pdf [en]
http://blogs.tetu.com/outre_mers_et_pairs/2010/09/01/sizzla-3/ [fr]
http://www.lepost.fr/ [fr]
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