This is one of those stupid stories that gets stupider the more you read it, so hold on to your hats folks.
Simon Ledger was performing at the Driftwood Beach Bar in Sandown, Isle of Wight, when he broke into his rendition of the 1974 disco classic “Kung Fu Fighting,” originally done by Carl Douglas. No big deal, right?
Wrong.
Apparently the song offended a pair of Chinese passers-by, who called police claiming he was subjected to racial abuse.
Says Ledger…
‘We were performing Kung Fu Fighting, as we do during all our sets,’ he said.
‘People of all races were loving it. Chinese people have never been offended by it before.
‘But this lad walking past with his mum started swearing at us and making obscene hand gestures before taking a picture on his mobile phone.
‘We hadn’t even seen them when we started the song. He must have phoned the police.’
The cops later called Ledger to set up a meeting—as irony would have it, he was eating in a Chinese restaurant at the time—and when the police showed up, arrested the singer on suspicion of racism.
The singer assumed it was a prank – but he was later arrested and is still under investigation.
‘They seemed pretty amazed but said the law is the law and it was their duty,’ he is reported to have said.
Ledger was released on bail.
Told you it was stupid going on stupider. What’s next, a Caucasian man claiming racism against Elton John for Playing “Honky Cat?”
Don’t laugh, it could happen.
