Stop Murder Music network in France Press Release 2008

Homophobic singer Capleton violates
the Reggae Compassionate Act
and arrives to tour France and Europe
(Tjenbé Rèd takes on the tasks
of the Stop Murder Music network in France
and calls all organisations who defend human rights
to resolute action against comments
by the would-be “queer burner” Capleton.)
Paris, Thursday the 30th of October 2008

Press Release No.TR08SOC33

It’s a big disappointment.

On the 13th of June 2007, the organisations J-Flag (Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, Allsexuals
& Gays), 

BGMAG (Black Gay Men’s Advisory Group) and Outrage! announced that the singer Capleton had signed the Reggae Compassionate Act (RCA). He is an iconic figure for Reggae
Dancehall, a form of music marked by its numerous homophobic songs (207 according to the Murder Inna Dancehall Internet site, 29 of which, between 1991 and 2006, were by Capleton himself). 

By signing the RCA, he committed his moral authority to help the fight against homophobia.

Unfortunately, thanks to the alertness of Stop Murder Music Bern, in Switzerland, and À Jeu Égal in Grenoble, Tjenbé Rèd has learned today that Capleton has violated the RCA, While performing, on the 25th December 2007 in a concert in Jamaica, he employed several lyrics calling for the murder of LBGT people (lesbians, gays bi- and trans-sexuals). 

Thus, as in the past, Capleton called upon his fans to begin work to “burn the queers and sodomites”.

This gesture shows that the LBGT movement across the world has been well and truly had.

The very spirit of the RCA has been called into question. What is the use of a document which is treated, by the various artists who have signed it, like a flimsy piece of paper? All have either renounced it or trampled it underfoot. Their fans too. Finally, doesn’t the procedure, to which those who support the RCA committed themselves, imply that they should continually tackle artists who violate it, but should do so patiently and politely? 

We noted this all too well with Sizzla, last May, for example, which we wanted to think was a slip, but we now see is the rule.

Capleton takes us for idiots, and with him, one might at least wonder, the whole Dancehall business. The rumour mill is humming. They know exactly what is happening, but think we don’t, or that we would not have any proof. We do have the proof. We do know.

Tjenbé Rèd is becoming Stop Murder Music France (the contact point for Stop Murder Music in France). As such, we call upon organisations who defend human rights for resolute action against the remarks of Capleton’s - the would-be “queer burner”, who will be touring France and Europe from the 5th to the 29th of November [2]. 

We call upon Stop Murder Music to suspend the RCA, which now threatens to turn us into the agents of our own destruction, no longer the agents of dialogue. For proof, we refer to the murders, preceded by torture, in Jamaica, of Brian Williamson (9th June 2004), Lenford Steve Harvey (30th November 2005) and Nokia Cowan (3 January 2006).

For Tjenbé Rèd (Stop Murder Music France)
President, David Auerbach Chiffrin
tjenbered@hotmail.fr +33 (0)6 12 95 16 21