Free Busta!
Posted Fri 26 Sep 2008 12:31PM BST by Johnny Famethrowa in Touching The Void
Anyway, back to Busta, who is currently languishing in a London hotel after being detained at City Airport . The rapper is due to headline the Orange RockCops gig at the Royal Albert Hall tonight but was yesterday forced to spend 12 hours in a 7ft by 8ft room, watched by five armed police officers. It seems he's lucky to even still be in the UK, after immigration officials proposed putting him straight onto a flight to Amsterdam. But what is his crime exactly? Well, apparently there are issues with "unresolved convictions in the US" and in a matter of hours he will be told if he is actually allowed to play the gig.
Excuse me powerful people, but this is absolutely ridiculous. Busta's lawyer yesterday essentially proved that his detention and subsequent incarceration were unlawful, prompting a High Court judge to demand he be freed. He has already been given entry to the UK twice this year and has a valid work permit for the concert. Moreover, this is a charity event, for 5,000 volunteers, who have spent hours picking litter, planting trees and basically getting their hands dirty for very little reward. Except this.
People like teenager Marcus-Alexander Neil, who explained: "Volunteering is not something the average teenager would think about. But as soon as you tag on a ticket to a gig, that's something that automatically all teenagers can relate to." In the aftermath of Snoop Dogg's infamous brawl at Heathrow Airport and the dubious reputation of other members of the rap community, British police are clearly operating a hardline policy. But this is an arrest too far. Happily, Busta remains defiant: "I came to the UK to perform for all of the Orange RockCorps volunteers who put in time in their community and that's what I'm going to do", he said last night. Right on. And when the gig's over, he should sue the British government.
