Fans are urging the UK Government to reconsider the ban that forbids Tyler, the Creator from visiting the country.
Recently, a fan named Sam Roberts created a petition that asked the UK government to end Tyler’s ban immediately. The petition states that the lyrics that caused Tyler’s ban were “intended as adult humour” and do not reflect the person Tyler is today.
Back in 2015, Tyler was banned from Britain for three to five years because of his controversial lyrics on his mixtape Bastard and debut album Goblin. Reportedly, he received a letter from the UK government that cited the country’s Home Office policy on “behaviours unacceptable in the UK.” The guidelines were created in 2005 to prevent suspected terrorists from entering the country.
The decision was revealed after Tyler announced the cancelation of his Australia tour because a feminist organization called Collective Shout pressured the government to reject the rapper’s visa.
Following his ban, the UK Home Office released a statement:
“Coming to the UK is a privilege, and we expect those who come here to respect our shared values. The Home Secretary has the power to exclude an individual if she considers that his or her presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good or if their exclusion is justified on public policy grounds.”
Tyler accused the UK of feeling pressured to follow Oz’s moves.
“Now [the UK government] are just followers. Everyone is a follower, just following what other countries are doing,” he told The Guardian. “Now I’m getting treated like a terrorist. I’m bummed out because it’s like, dude, I’m not homophobic. I’ve said this since the beginning. The “hating women” thing – it’s so nuts. It’s based on things I made when I was super-young, when no one was listening [to my music].”
According to the page, the petition needs to receive at least 10,000 signatures to receive a response from the government, and at least 100,000 signatures to be considered for debate in Parliament. As of press time, the petition has over 3,600 signatures.