Controversial
reggae artist Buju Banton is out on bail after being
charged with assault on six Jamaican men suspected of being
gay, reports the Jamaica Observer. Banton paid
$50,000 (Jamaican) in bail on September 21 after
pleading not guilty. Police allege that Banton was
part of a group that barged into a Kingston house on
June 24, 2004, and beat the six allegedly gay men. Banton's
case will go before a judge on Friday, September 30.
Banton has drawn
fire from gay rights groups worldwide for songs like
"Boom Bye Bye," which activists say encourages the murder of
gay people. Britain's OutRage! and other organizations
have been working with record labels and concert
promoters on both sides of the Atlantic to bar Banton
and other performers from performing or reissuing songs that
advocate homophobic violence.