Beenie Man won’t play Dutch music festival
Organisers of the Dutch Parkpop music festival have withdrawn their invitation to the controversial Jamaican singer Beenie Man to play at the event.
The artist, who gay groups say is homophobic, was invited to the event after organisers rejected American rapper Snoop Dogg.
Parkpop said that although Beenie Man promised not to sing any homophobic songs, they had to cancel his slot to avoid risking the future of the free event.
The singer, real name Anthony Moses Davis, has a number of songs which advocate the murder of lesbians and gays.
Lyrics include “I’m dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays”, while another song suggests lesbians should be hanged.
Snoop Dogg said he was “astonished” to have been banned from the event.
He was informed by Parkpop that the police and prosecution service were barring him.
Snoop Dogg has had problems with entering countries in the past. In 2006, he was temporarily banned from entering the UK, although the ban was lifted to allow him to play Glastonbury this year.
Last November, Beenie Man had a string of Australian and New Zealand tour dates cancelled after gay groups protested at his lyrics.
