Eminem vs. Canada
October 26 -- Despite attempts to keep him out of the country, Eminem was granted entry into Canada this afternoon for the Toronto date of the "Anger Management" tour tonight.
On Wednesday, Ontario Attorney General Jim Flaherty said that the rap stars lyrics are so violent toward women that the artist shouldn't be allowed to perform in Canada. "I personally don't want anyone coming to Canada who will come here and advocate violence against women," Flaherty told the Queen's Park Bureau.
He urged federal immigration officials to "make sure the usual procedures are observed" if Eminem enters the country. (Did somebody say "full body cavity search"?)But the officials ruled that the weapons and assault charges that the artist faces in the States aren't sufficient reason to bar him from performing in Canada.
The latest brouhaha over the controversial star's lyrics erupted after Valerie Smith registered a complaint with the Toronto Police hate crimes unit on Oct. 4. The self-appointed "media violence" watchdog says the words to songs like "Kim" (in which our hero murders his wife) constitute hate propaganda and thus are in violation of the Canadian Criminal Code.
"I read the words, the words were not subtle," Flaherty said Wednesday. "They were violent, they advocated violence, they praised violence against women, physical assaults, batteries on women, and that's not acceptable to me."
Local politicians have called for Eminem to be prosecuted if he includes the material in question in tonight's set.
On Tuesday, Eminem's estranged spouse, Kimberly Mathers, pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct in the 37th District Court of Warren, Mich., and was sentenced to 11 months of probation and a $50 fine. She was also ordered to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous orientation meeting.
Mathers, 25, was arrested after demonstrating her own vocal abilities by berating police officers after the June 4 conflict outside a Warren nightclub, where Eminem allegedly assaulted a man he claims kissed his wife.
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