Tonight:
4°c
A rioter who terrorised diners with an axe at McDonald's has been jailed for five years and three months - one of the toughest sentences for last summer's disturbances
More...
Brighton becomes first city to ban rap music that offends gays
Last updated at 16:37pm on 05.12.07Homophobic rap music has been banned in Brighton in case it offends the city's large gay population.
Music venues in the city have been ordered not to play certain tracks by artists such as Eminem and 50 Cent.
Scroll down for more...
Gay pride: Brighton has banned all music that offends its many homosexual residents
If pubs and clubs flout the ban, they can be stripped of their licence and closed down.
All music - whether played live or from a recording - that "incites hatred towards minorities" on religious, racial or sexuality grounds is affected.
The move follows an outcry last year over a scheduled performance by the notorious Jamaican artist Buju Banton.
His show was cancelled at the 11th hour after police warned the Concorde 2 venue, where he was due to play, that his lyrics could inflame tensions.
Scroll down for more...
Homophobic: Rapper 50 Cent, who once said 'I ain't into faggots', will have music banned
One of his songs, Boom Bye Bye, advocates murdering gays.
Brighton and Hove's head of licensing, Dee Simson, said: "We have a good record on equality and we felt it was important to include this in the licensing policy."
But Trevor Madison, production co-ordinator at Concorde 2, said: "Who knows where these things are going?
"A couple of bad apples shouldn't mess things up for everyone else."
Reader views (11)
Banning performers to protect gay men, people of faith and ethnic minorities in Brighton is plain foolish.
None of the people I know in these groups round here have anything but a robust sense of themselves and value the opportunity to listen to what they want to and make their own decisions.
I'm the Sectretary of The Brighton Salon, a serious-but-sociable discussion group. I'm too old to have any rap in my music collection.
Funny how the City Council bans black performers to protect minorities!
Robeson had the same problem. He was a black Communist with a Jewish wife who made his name singing Spiritual slave songs (his dad was a former slave). US authorities took his passport away to prevent him making records and speaking abroad for a living. This was in the late forties.
How far would are you prepared to go with this, Brighton City Council?
- Sean Bell, Brighton, England, 05/12/2007 18:24
Report abuse
There is something very worrying about a local councils ability to curtail freedom of speech/expression. Apart from being completely anti-democratic, banning artistic expression, or let's be honest, freedom of speech has nothing but a negative effect.
This patronising concept of 'protection' reinforces the idea of us human beings being vulnrable and delicate to the extent that someone saying nasty things is going to hurt our feeligs. Grow up, for Christ's sake, stop waiting around to be 'offended' we're all adults here.
There is a dangerous and misunderstood concept of 'incitement' operating here. Just because someone says something does not mean that we will do what they say, we are not attack dogs. Saying is not doing. Brighton council has no right or remit to act in this way and should be opposed.
- Dan Travis, Brighton, 05/12/2007 17:26
Report abuse
Brighton used to be, like London, cool. Used to be.
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London, 05/12/2007 16:09
Report abuse
John of London, I don't know what kind of world you inhabit but it is certainly not acceptable to play music which advocates killing gay people. I know several gay work colleagues and I'm sure they'd mind very much hearing that filth. If songs were performed to the public that advocated the killing of ethnic minorities, the disabled or any number of other groups (take your pick) I'm sure we'd all be up in arms about it, but strangely enough lyrics about killing gay people seem not to bother you. Kind of says more about you than anything else.
- Paul Wilson, London, UK, 05/12/2007 15:37
Report abuse
Are they still talking at Buju Banton!? I wish these do-gooders would do their research. "Boom Bye Bye" was made when he was a 16 yr old. He also made songs about preferring lighter skinned black women to dark skinned ones. That was 16 years ago! He is now a clean living rastafarian father of 5 whose lyrics are far removed from the ones whe wrote as a teenager. Exactly how many Buju Banton or reggae fans have attacked gay people in Brighton or anywhere else in the UK? Yet, the British government, deep in the midst of a teengae bun and knife epidemic, which Labour say is a specific (i.e black) community problem, still allow rappers to perform in this country. Wonder why that is?
- Melissa, London, 05/12/2007 14:59
Report abuse
Bit of a liberal dilemma here. A case or Right On Brighton.
- Jake Smith, London, UK, 05/12/2007 14:56
Report abuse
Ban it from radio too as it is offensive foul music that constantly references sex, drugs and insults many people, not just gays.
- Brandon Thomas, London, UK, 05/12/2007 14:33
Report abuse
Rap music is indeed horrible nursery rhyming garbage and I think the radio stations should be also be restricting and banning airplay of any songs with vulgar lyrics that contain swearing and references to sex and anything that offends the public. It wasn't long ago that the BBC banned Frankie Goes To Hollywodd and Relax, the rap rubbish that is out today makes that song look like a hymn. TV and radio execs should be ashamed as simply bleeping out the words does not stop the message from being understood.
- Brandon Thomas, London UK, 05/12/2007 12:32
Report abuse
This is a bit of a liberal dilema isn't it?
- Jake Smith, London, UK, 05/12/2007 11:46
Report abuse
They should ban it for being moronic rubbish, not for offending oversensitive liberals.
- Mark, London, 05/12/2007 10:30
Report abuse
What a joke! I am sure that the gay people don't really mind this music being played, the public should decide what is good or bad music. In addition not everyone in Brighton is gay, therefore I would instead suggest let venues choose and the gay people can choose whether to go there or not!
- John, London, 05/12/2007 03:59
Report abuse
