The 1974 song “Kung Fu Fighting” is making headlines after an entertainer in the UK was arrested on suspicion of racially-aggravated harassment for performing the tune in a local bar.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Simon Ledger was arrested after a 32-year-old Chinese person overheard the song being performed in the Driftwood Bar in Sandown, Isle of Wight, and promptly made a complaint. A Hampshire Police spokesperson said the man claimed he had been subject to racial abuse.
The song, which features the lyrics “There was funky Chinamen from funky Chinatown,” reached number one in the US and UK charts and sold over 9 million copies worldwide.
Carl Douglas, the 63-year-old artist who wrote and sang the track, says he was shocked to hear of the arrest.
“I couldn’t believe it. This is not a racist song. It’s a happy, kicking, disco song. I have Chinese cousins and my sister is married to a man called Tony Chang,” he said. “Why would I sing a song that could be interpreted as racist?”
According to the police spokesman, the “Kung Fu Fighting” investigation is on-going and Ledger has been released on bail
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