Die Antwoord accused of ‘homophobic hate crime’ after video leaks
Die Antwoord perform on a festival stage in Texas. (Erika Goldring/Getty)
Die Antwoord has been accused of homophobia after a video allegedly showed its members Ninja and Yolandi Visser attacking Hercules & Love Affair musician Andy Butler.
The 11-minute clip, taken by the hip hop group’s former videographer Ben Crossman, appears to show the group shouting homophobic slurs at Butler at the 2012 Future Music Festival in Adelaide, Australia.
It opens with the message: “This video is for documentary purposes. Homophobic attacks and homophobic violence should be denounced.”
In the video Ninja (real name Watkin Tudor Jones) is seen shoving and spitting at Butler, who throws a drink in retaliation.
Butler escapes after a brief scuffle, as Visser (real name Anri du Toit) shouts: “Run f****t, run. Run for your life b****.”
Hercules & Love Affair’s Andy Butler. (Getty)
The rest of the clip follows the band as they flag down festival security staff to report the incident. They allege that Butler groped Visser, who appears visibly upset.
Afterwards, Ninja says of Visser: “She’s like Marilyn Monroe, this is Oscar Award winning.” He is also heard using a racial slur.
After the video surfaced online, Die Antwoord was removed from the line-up for the Louder than Life festival in Louisiana, Kentucky, due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Die Antwoord denies fight was ‘hate crime’.
Ninja denied that the fight was a “hate crime” in a Facebook statement.
“Ben has cleverly edited this video clip to make it seem like me and Yolandi committed a hate crime towards a person because they are gay,” he wrote on Sunday, August 18.
“However, Ben beat up the guy from Hercules himself while filming this same video clip.
“This was just a fight with someone who f****d with us. Not a hate crime.”
Ninja defended the band, saying they have at least two LGBT+ friends.
“We don’t care about people’s sexual preference. Our DJ and best friend DJ HITEK is gay, and a lot of people in our crew are gay.
“But if a person (no matter what their sexual preference it) keeps harassing us over and over, then physically harasses Yolandi, there will obviously be repercussion.”
PinkNews has contacted Butler’s representatives for comment.
