Collective Shout activist receives rape and death threats on Twitter after US rapper mistakenly claims the group had succeeded in blocking his tour

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

An activist has received rape and death threats after US rapper Tyler, The Creator mistakenly tweeted that a campaign to have him banned from entering Australia was successful.

Tyler, The Creator, whose real name is Tyler Okonma, is scheduled to perform in September, but a petition from grassroots feminist organisation, Collective Shout, has called on the immigration department to deny him a visa based on his song lyrics and behaviour during a previous tour.

Okonma, tweeted on Tuesday: “T is now banned from Australia, you won @CoralieAlison, I’m happy for you”, despite the immigration department having made no ruling on his visa.

Tyler, The Creator (@fucktyler) T IS NOW BANNED FROM AUSTRALIA, YOU WON @CoralieAlison IM HAPPY FOR YOU <3

Tyler, The Creator (@fucktyler) *PLAYS SMUCKERS VERSE* *SAD FACE* *GOLDENGAYTIME* MELBOURNE WAS MY FAVORITE PLACE AND TRIPLE J IS LIKE THE ONLY RADIO STATION THAT PLAYS ME

However, Okonma’s fans reacted swiftly to his tweet, abusing Alison, the director of operations at Collective Shout.

G (@gypsygem02) @CoralieAlison I'm coming to kill you

Deazey (@YungDeazey) @CoralieAlison this makes no one happy at all, do you realise you are going to start a riot, oh btw we found her address @fucktyler

Coralie Alison (@CoralieAlison) Wow he even made a Twitter handle especially for me https://t.co/Yk3WJxcedx

“With respect to media reports that Tyler, The Creator’s visa has been refused, Frontier would like to advise that this is not the case,” Frontier Touring confirmed in a statement.

“The department for immigration has raised issues with the visa application but it has not been refused and Frontier will update ticket holders as soon as more information comes to hand”.

A spokesperson for the department confirmed to Triple J the visa application was still being assessed.

The petition to immigration minister, Peter Dutton, seeks to have Okonma refused entry on the grounds of him being a “controversial visa applicant”.

The term refers to “people whose presence in Australia may, because of their activities, reputation, known record or the cause they represent and propagate, vilify or incite discord in the Australian community or a segment of that community, or represent a danger to the Australian community or a segment of that community.”

Collective Shout claimed Okonma was such a person, based on his song lyrics, and behaviour during a 2013 tour when he directed expletive-laden verbal abuse at Collective Shout activist, Talitha Stone, who had run a similar but unsuccessful campaign against him touring that year.

It’s not known if Okonma was aware that Stone was in the crowd of the all-ages Sydney show at the time, but she later described the incident to the Guardian.

A few songs in, Tyler told his fans that “some bitch was trying to get him kicked out of the country”, followed by one of two songs he dedicated to me. This one was titled Bitch Suck Dick, which contains the lyrics “You dead bitch, I’m hot as fuck … Punch a bitch in her mouth just for talkin’ shit”. He also said these things: Fucking bitch, I wish she could hear me call her a bitch, too, fucking whore. Yeah, I got a sold-out show right now bitch. Hey this fucking song is dedicated to you, you fucking cunt.

“The messages propagated in these lyrics pose particular risk to the Australian community by conveying the message that interpersonal conflict might be legitimately resolved through violence,” read the most recent petition to Dutton.

“Unfortunately this message still enjoys resonance in significant parts of our society which heightens the risk posed to women and children of his entry.”

Hip-hop collective Odd Future, of which Okonma is a founder, was banned from entering New Zealand to play a gig with Eminem last year, because they were deemed a “threat to public order and the public interest.”

The Collective Shout petition also drew the department’s attention to specific lyrics from Okonma’s other songs, including: “Fuck Mary in her ass ... ha-ha ... yo, I tell her it’s my house, give her a tour, In my basement, and keep that bitch locked up in my storage, Rape her and record it, then edit it with more shit.”

“You call this shit rape but I think that rape’s fun, I just got one request, stop breathin.”

