By Calvin Palmer
Britain’s sense of fair play and justice came to the fore today when a High Court judge ruled that rap star Busta Rhymes could perform at tonight’s charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Justice Nicholas Stadlen upheld an injunction preventing Rhymes, whose real name is Trevor George Smith, Jr., from being deported, saying that he did not want to interfere with the concert, which is being given by Orange RockCorps for volunteers who earned their tickets by doing four hours of community service.
“What weighs in the balance is not just what effect that would have on Mr. Smith, to which I pay considerably less regard than the effect on the 4,000 volunteers who would be disappointed if he didn’t perform this evening,” he said.
Rhymes was detained by immigration officials yesterday who tried to deport him because the rap star has criminal convictions in the United States. An injunction was obtained to stop deportation and Rhymes spent 11 hours under guard at London City Airport.
In March, Rhymes received three years’ probation from a New York court for four charges relating to three separate assaults and driving under the influence. The court ordered the hip-hop star to perform 10 days of community service and to enroll in a drunk-driving program. He was also fined $1,250.
Rhymes had previously been allowed into Britain in April and May without any problems.
[Based on reports by The Guardian and the Associated Press.]
2 Comments
September 27, 2008 at 4:54 am
The McCain/Palin ticket is even more worrying than the threat from Bin Laden…seriously! Think about it. Bin Laden has the ability to wound us: Palin (if she became President) has the ability? to end everything. She’s completely and utterly out of her depth.
OS.
September 27, 2008 at 4:56 am
Like me. I have an excuse, I’m senile. Wrong thread.