August 4, 2004 13:19

CAMPAIGNERS BLAST BACK AT BEENIE MAN

Human rights campaigners dub the dancehall star "insincere and opportunistic"...

Human rights campaigners have rubbished BEENIE MAN's apology - branding the dancehall star "insincere and opportunistic".

Beenie Man (real name Anthony Davis) has been at the centre of controversy for some time over lines in his songs which appear to incite the violent attack of homosexuals.

However, this week he apologised, saying: "As a human being, I renounce violence towards other human beings in every way, and pledge henceforth to uphold these values as I move forward in my career as an artist".

However, campaigning group OutRage are not satisfied. Spokesman Brett Lock said yesterday (August 3): "Beenie Man’s so-called apology is so vague that it does not even mention what he is apologising for. It could be an apology for anything. It contains no explicit regret for his incitements to murder gay people, and no specific affirmation of his respect for homosexuals and for homosexual human rights."