Anger as Met allows 'gay-hate' singer's gig

POLICE have been accused of supporting homophobic music by allowing a Jamaican reggae singer to perform in London this weekend.

Bounty Killer, whose real name is Rodney Pryce, has been approved by the Met to play at the Stratford Rex on Saturday - despite the fact that some of his songs glorify the killing of gay people.

Among his lyrics are the lines "bun a fire pon a puff and mister fagoty" translated as "burn a fire on poofs and faggots" and "you know we need no promo to rub out dem homo" or "you know we don't need prompting to kill a homosexual".

The Met said it agreed to let the 36-year-old perform on the condition he "does not perform the songs that may be considered as offensive in a homophobic manner".

But Peter Tatchell of gay human rights group OutRage! and co-ordinator of the worldwide Stop Murder Music campaign, said: "The Metropolitan Police are hypocrites.

"They allow homophobic singers to perform in London but not racist ones. Racist artists are banned on the grounds that they are a threat to public order and good community relations. It's double standards.

"Homophobic artists are allowed to perform, even when they are on record as inciting the murder of lesbian and gay people. Although inciting murder is a serious criminal offence, the police give their approval for these singers to hold concerts in London."

In a statement, the Met said a previous concert in which the artist performed at the Stratford Rex "passed off without incident" and added it would "deal robustly with any offences that arise".

But Mr Tatchell accused the police of breaking a promise to only allow reggae singers who had signed the Reggae Compassion Act - a one-page contract created by gay activists to ensure reggae stars no longer use violently homophobic lyrics in their music and performances - to perform in the UK.

He said: "They are taking the side of a singer who has promoted and celebrated the murder of gay people, and who is defying the RCA."

A spokesman for the concert's organisers Cavalli and Paradise Promotions said that he had been assured Pryce had signed the RCA.

The spokesman said: "He performed two months ago at the Stratford Rex and we were assured by his agency that he had signed the RCA. We wouldn't have booked him otherwise because we know the consequences of this. We've worked with the police, who will be securing the event for us, and they seem satisfied."

This year, police forces in Bradford and Birmingham halted two proposed Bounty Killer concerts saying they would be harmful to community relations.

Bounty Killer's record label VP records declined to comment.