Against Eminem and Brit Awards Judges
Eminem Fans Say: “All you queers should be killed”
Brit Awards Ceremony, Monday 26 February
Protest from 6 – 8pm, Earl’s Court 2 Exhibition Centre,
Old Brompton Road entrance (opposite West Brompton tube station).
Feminist, gay and student campaigners plan vociferous protests against US rap star Eminem when he attends the Brit Awards ceremony in London next Monday, 26 February.
Billed to perform live during the star-studded gala, Eminem has been nominated as Best International Male Solo Artist. He is a strong contender to win the coveted UK music industry award.
Protesters are targeting both Eminem and the Brit Award judges.
“This nomination is the moral equivalent of honouring a Ku Klux Klan singer,” said protest co-organiser, Peter Tatchell of OutRage!.
“Eminem would never have been nominated for an award if his abusive, violent lyrics targeted black people”.
“By nominating him, the Brit Award judges are tacitly endorsing misogyny and homophobia. They would not tolerate racism or anti-Semitism. Why, then, are they tolerating his attacks on women and gay people?”
“Eminem’s lyrics encourage bigots who hate queers. Some of his fans have sent me hate mail saying: Eminem is right, all you queers should be killed”.
“It is sick the way he jokes and fantasies about raping women and killing gays. In Britain, an estimated one million homosexuals have been victims of queer-bashing violence, and last year over 7,000 women were raped and more than 20,000 were sexually assaulted”.
Monday’s protest is organised by the queer rights group OutRage! and the National Union of Students women’s and gay sections, with the support of other feminist and human rights campaigners.