‘Rape’s fun’: star sets ‘attack dogs’ on Aussie
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Tyler the Creator wants to come to Australia, but his fans might’ve ruined his chance.
Source: Supplied
WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT
US RAPPER Tyler the Creator has been accused of using “dog whistle tactics” to rally fans to attack an Australian woman who wants him banned from entering the country.
His fans took to social media to launch their attack, and the results were deeply disturbing.
Tyler, aka Tyler Okonma, is due to appear in Australia for a national tour starting on September 3.
The 24-year-old from California burst onto the music scene in 2009 with his first self-released album, Bastard.
His music earned him fans around the world, including many in Australia, but his lyrics were deemed offensive towards women.
It’s easy to see why. His songs include the lyrics: “Rape’s fun”, “Rape(d) a pregnant b*tch and told my friends I had a threesome” and “I wanna tie her body up and throw her in my basement.”
Coralie Alison from Collective Shout — an organisation campaigning against the objectification of women in the media and in popular culture — took particular offence.
She was so offended that she wrote a letter to Immigration Minister Peter Dutton requesting Okonmo be refused a visa.
“Tyler the Creator seeks to enter Australia in order to profit from the broadcasting and selling of these lyrics,” she wrote.
“While his activities are therefore commercial, the content of the product he sells propagates discriminatory ideas about women and other groups, and represent a danger to a segment of the Australian community on the potential basis of incitement to acts of hatred.”
On Monday Okonmo took to Twitter to congratulate Ms Alison for her success, though the Department of Immigration has yet to confirm Okonmo will be banned from Australia.
“T IS NOW BANNED FROM AUSTRALIA, YOU WON @coraliealison IM HAPPY FOR YOU <3,” he wrote.
Okonmo’s fans followed by threatening to rape and murder Ms Alison, who retweeted the threats to her followers.
The tweets, many of which were unsuitable for reproduction, included great detail about how the Australian would be murdered and sexually assaulted.
“F***ing kill yourself you worthless peice (sic) of f***ing shit,” @FaythIX wrote.
“Drink bleach and die slut,” @Bigjsweg wrote.
“Take a bath with your toaster please,” @Nacitynac wrote.
“We will all rape you b*tch,” @Aaronboy31098 wrote.
Author and advocate for women Melinda Tankard Reist said the threats were the worst she has ever seen.
“The treatment of Coralie Alison demonstrates what happens to women when they speak out on social media,” she told news.com.au.
“This is just the latest example of the vilification and online hatred, the rape threats, death threats, mutilation threats women receive when they dare have an opinion.
“He has set his attack dogs onto Coralie, illustrating our case (to deny him a visa).
“How can we possibly roll out the red carpet to this women hating rapper who promotes and eroticises and glamorises that very same violence.”
Over 48 hours of non-stop online abuse directed at me and it’s still coming. @fucktyler knew this would be the outcome when he tagged me
— Coralie Alison (@CoralieAlison) July 29, 2015
She said Okonmo “incited discord”, which would put him in breach of a visa.
“We hope Dutton will take urgent action,” Ms Tankard Reist said.
“He is performing at all ages concerts. He is grooming and conditioning and socialising boys to think violence against women is normal and glam.”
It’s not the first time Collective Shout has gone head-to-head with an American rapper.
Last year the group asked then-Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to ban rapper Eminem and had previously tried, unsuccessfully, to have Snoop Dogg’s visa revoked.
In 2013 the group led a similar campaign against Tyler the Creator and its then-campaign leader Talitha Stone was also threatened online.
On Twitter on Thursday Okonmo appeared resigned to the fact he would not be gracing Australian stages in September.
“I am so bummed that I can’t go to a place that I fell in love with,” he wrote.
“But yo, I am not responsible for what others say. No way. Ever.”
I AM SO BUMMED THAT I CANT GO TO A PLACE THAT I FELL IN LOVE WITH, IT SUCKS, BUT YO, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT OTHERS SAY, NO WAY, EVER
— Tyler, The Creator (@fucktyler) July 29, 2015
