Sweden: Rap band taken to court accused of ‘hate speech’
Whether calling the police 'pigs' and encouraging to start a "war" against them goes beyond the limits of the rights to freedom of expression in rap music is to be tried in a Swedish court
Two members of a rap band from the south of Sweden, Skåne, are taken to court accused of ‘hate speech’ after a concert where they rapped these words:
“Everybody in Landskrona hates the police, and we will start a war against these pigs” ("Alla i Landskrona hatar poliser och vi ska starta krig mot snuten").
19-year-old Emil 'Emilush' Göransson and 22-year-old Alexander 'Caustic' Nodbring were rapping on stage at the reggae festival Rotrock in the late afternoon on 5 August 2006. The festival took place in Teaterparken in Landskrona.
A police patrol happened to be surveying their concert, and the officers gave in a report on the incident. A date for the court case has not yet been set.
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