POLICE in south London have allegedly told a bar owner he should not play Jamaican music which has been deemed ‘unacceptable’ by the town of Croydon.
This development was reported by theguardian.com website on Friday.
According to Roy Seda, operator of Dice Bar in Croydon, he has been approached by law enforcement more than once to stop playing dancehall music.
The article stated that in an email sent to Seda last year, Sergeant Michael Emery, a licensing officer in Croydon, referred to “what this borough finds unacceptable forms of music”.
The police force has been accused of racial profiling by minorities throughout the British capital. Jamaican music, they claim, is being unfairly targeted.Throughout the 1990’s and in 2005, some Jamaican artists such as Sizzla Kalonji, Bounty Killer and Buju Banton drew the wrath of British homosexual groups for anti-gay lyrics.
It triggered similar backlash in other European countries.
Seda told the Guardian that he has lost bookings because of the police action.
“We’ve lost business. We’ve had some birthday bookings that have cancelled when they’ve asked if we play ‘bashment’ and we’ve had to tell them no,” he said.
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