Stop Murder Music Bern
Interview: Tom
Date: November 2008
Website: Stop Murder Music Bern
Contrary to the other associations that works under the banner 'Stop Murder Music', the one located in Bern (Switzerland) was created by heterosexuals! They are four reggae fans that are active in the local alternative reggae scene. Tom from Stop Murder Music Bern: “We started our group in March 2008 because of a homophobic incident with "Dubversive Soundsystem" from Zurich, Switzerland, during a reggae-dancehall-party in March 2008. The organizer, a Somali living in Switzerland since some years, and a small non-commercial Dancehall-Reggae-Party-Organizer, was shocked about the homophobic arrogance of DS (‘Dubversive Soundsystem’ – that's racism against gays and lesbians) and asked some of his friends to help fighting against "Killerqueens" (artists that promote violence against LGBT) and homophobic turntables. We developped our own Manifest that people can support, campagned against the Sizzla concert in May in Zurich and against the concerts of Vybz Kartel, Anthony B and Junior Reid in Zurich, plus Capleton’s concerts in Basel and Lausanne. The Basel concert was cancelled. ‘Killerqueens’ seem to like the atmosphere in Switzerland. Probably because it's not yet really involved in Schengen and because of the good fees. Our main targets are not only concerts but also a probably bigger problem, the local soundsystems. If one can believe the Pessimistic hypes inside the local music scene, in Switzerland, there are only about 10 Soundsystems that are not playing Battyman-Tunes, and who are sometimes verbaly attacked because of that. We also organize, from time to time, (Dancehall)-Reggae parties without homohate and homophobia in the local autonomous culture centre reitschule. Last but not least, there’s the problem of homohate-songs on sound carriers (CDs and LPs) that are sold at the merchandise tables in concert halls, in shops and on the Internet. On iTunes Swizerland, one can buy 19 of the 22 homohate-songs of Capleton”. In October 2008, their group was joined by a gay activist. And since November, two Rocksteady-Reggae-Soul DJs are also interested to work with SMM Bern.
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