Following the furore created last week when Kelis was branded a “slave” by a – British – “red-faced sweaty man” who accused her of queue jumping after sharing a flight with her from Gatwick, the singer has spoken out at London Fashion Week. “Yes, it was a terrible thing to happen, but I'm a strong person and I can take it. I won't let that ruin anything for me,” she told the Evening Standard. “I have been coming to London for years because I love it here, I always have. But there are problems in this city that need to be addressed.”
After hearing of the incident, London Mayor, Boris Johnson issued Kelis a personal apology, saying “Heard about the treatment you received at a UK airport. Want you to know this is not typical. I’m appalled & I’m on the case,” before writing to UK Border Agency chief, Rob Whiteman, urging him to remind staff they are “the face and voice of modern Britain”.
It has since emerged that the abuse took place in Spain, and a City Hall source has said: “We'd appreciate in future if people like Kelis were more careful in their use of language about London and not suggest that something has happened in the capital when it hasn't.
“Boris is proud of London's reputation as a tolerant, diverse city. But the letter Boris wrote to the UK Border Agency still stands. There are concerns and passport control staff are the first people that visitors to London meet.”
Kelis also attested it would take “more than one jackass to stop me from enjoying this beautiful city.”
Source: myspace
