The strange reason why Eminem was banned from London’s Hyde Park
Eminem has never feared courting controversy, but there have been times when his antics have caught up with him. One such instance was when he ended up getting banned from London’s famous Hyde Park.
Em had been booked to perform at a day festival in Hyde Park, which was set to take place in the summer of 2014. But, before it could happen, the organisation that runs Hyde Park, Royal Parks, stepped in to block Em from playing.
The reason why was because they were afraid that Eminem’s lyrics could offend other people walking around the park who weren’t at his gig. Em’s swearing and violent storytelling would have carried beyond the boundaries of the gig itself.
The CEO of Royal Parks at the time, Linda Lennon, wrote an email at the time to explain her organisation’s decision. “This artist flagged risks across the board,” she insisted. “In particular in respect of our public reputation.”
There were apparently calls to Boris Johnson, who was serving as London’s mayor at the time, to intervene and overturn Royal Parks’ ban. But far from getting involved, Johnson’s office instead declared it had nothing to do with such decisions and that, in any case, they didn’t even know who Eminem was.
Sir Edward Lister, who served as Johnson’s chief of staff at the time, claimed that he had “no knowledge of Eminem and his style of music and still do not.”
Eminem was ultimately prevented from playing at that festival, which also included Black Sabbath and The Libertines on the bill. But all wasn’t lost for Em, as he ended up playing two dates at London’s Wembley Stadium a little over a week later. In fact, he credited the park ban with helping to make the Wembley gigs a success.
“I heard that I wasn’t going to be approved to play in Hyde Park and it made me even more excited to play in London this summer,” Em was reported as saying. “The easiest way to get me to do something is to tell me I can’t do it. Thanks to the Royal Parks for making it all possible… for Wembley.”
There is an irony to Eminem being banned from Hyde Park on the grounds of offensive speech. The park has a reputation as a bit of a free speech hub, with members of multiple social movements, including the suffragettes, having met there throughout history to spread their message. But Eminem’s rhetoric, it seems, went too far for the park’s custodians.