Gig cancelled over 'homophobic' lyrics

Stockholm -Jamaican reggae star Sizzla Kalonji had a Stockholm concert cancelled for a second time on Wednesday amid protests over lyrics considered homophobic, the club he had been meant to perform at said.

"We are cancelling Sizzla's concert tonight, March 28, at Slakthuset (The Slaughterhouse) despite the fact that this will entail a financial loss for us," Slakthuset said in a statement, insisting "we are against racism, we are against sexism and we are against homophobia".

Sizzla had originally been scheduled to play at another Stockholm club, Strand, but the event was cancelled and moved to Slakthuset after gay rights activists staged protests, including on Facebook.

'Murder of homosexuals'

According to the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL), the singer "regularly persecutes homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender people and contributes heavily to the already strongly homophobic and transphobic societal climate in for instance Jamaica".

According to the group, which issued a statement earlier on Wednesday calling for a boycott of Sizzla's gig at Slakthuset, the singer called at a concert in Kingston this month for the murder of homosexuals.

Organisers behind his four-week European tour meanwhile insisted in a statement published on Monday that protesters were reacting to "words in Jamaican that were poorly interpreted and poorly translated".

Protests

Richard Svahn, the head of RFSL's Stockholm division, however insisted it was important that Sizzla be blocked from performing in the Swedish capital.

"Stockholm usually ranks first in terms of the world's most gay-friendly cities. For that to continue, organisers must take their responsibility and take a stand up against homophobic artists," he said in the statement.

The Stockholm announcement came a day after the Sala Arena in Madrid said it was cancelling Sizzla's concert there on April 13, and after organisers in Oslo, where he is scheduled to play on Thursday, said the venue for the concert had been altered, also amid protests from gay rights activists.