Australian Femicide Watch founder Sherele Moody has criticised Dizzee Rascal’s upcoming Australian tour, questioning why the British rapper is being given a platform in the country despite his domestic violence conviction.
In an Instagram post shared over the weekend, Moody called attention to the grime pioneer’s scheduled November and December performances, including a December 5th appearance at the Sydney Opera House forecourt, arguing that the decision to promote artists convicted of violence against women sends a troubling message.
“A musician with a conviction for domestic violence will tour Australia this year,” she wrote. “Given the high levels of violence against women in our country, no gendered violence offender should be allowed in.”
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Dizzee Rascal, whose real name is Dylan Mills, was found guilty in March 2022 of assaulting his former fiancée, Cassandra Jones, during an altercation at her south London home in June of 2021.
Per The Guardian, prosecutors told the court that Mills had barged into Jones’ south London home carrying their young son, shouted at Jones and her mother, and banged his head against a refrigerator three times.
He was subsequently convicted of assaulting Jones by pressing his forehead against hers and pushing her to the ground.
In April 2022, Mills received a community order that included a 24-week curfew enforced by an electronic tag, alongside a 12-month restraining order preventing him from contacting Jones.
During sentencing, District Judge Polly Gledhill said Mills had shown no remorse for his actions and continued to blame Jones for the incident.
Mills denied the assault and appealed his conviction, but that appeal was dismissed in January 2023.
Following the unsuccessful appeal, Jones said the outcome demonstrated that “wealth and status cannot be used to silence women”, which acknowledging the emotional toll of the legal proceedings.
Moody’s criticism comes as Australia continues to grapple with violence against women. The journalist and researcher, who documents violent deaths through Australian Femicide Watch and The RED HEART Movement, said 56 women had been killed in acts of violence across the country so far in 2026, according to her tally.
“We’ve faced an ongoing epidemic of gendered violence against women for years,” she wrote.
“The decision to let this man perform in Australia once again shows that no matter what a violent man does to women you’ll be forgiven, you’ll be given a microphone and the spotlight and you will be allowed to maintain your pedestal.”
Her comments also raise questions about how Australia applies its immigration character requirements to international performers with histories of domestic violence.
Under Section 501 of the Migration Act, foreign nationals can be refused visas on character grounds, including consideration of their criminal history. A prison sentence of 12 months or more is one basis for failing the character test, although shorter sentences do not automatically prevent authorities from refusing entry.
Australia has previously taken action against high-profile international musicians on these grounds.
In 2015, Australian immigration authorities moved to block Chris Brown from entering the country over his history of domestic violence, issuing the American singer with a formal notice of intention to consider refusing his visa on character grounds.
His proposed Australian tour was subsequently cancelled.
Brown had pleaded guilty in 2009 to assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna and received five years’ probation, 180 days of community labour and mandatory domestic violence counselling.
It remains unclear whether Mills has been granted an Australian visa for his upcoming performances.
As previously reported by Rolling Stone AU/NZ, Dizzee Rascal announced his ‘We Want Bass’ tour in July, promoted by Live Nation, with fellow British artists Example and ArrDee, alongside Australian DJ Swaglord Savannah.
The tour is scheduled to begin in Perth on November 26th, before visiting Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Byron Bay, followed by a New Zealand performance in Auckland on December 8th. An additional Adelaide show has since been added.
Mills, who won the Mercury Prize for his 2003 debut Boy in da Corner, remains one of the most influential figures in British grime, with crossover hits including “Bonkers”, “Dance Wiv Me” and “Holiday”.
For Moody, however, his musical legacy does not erase the significance of his conviction, or the message she believes his continued promotion sends to survivors of domestic violence.
“At some point, this platforming of domestic violence perpetrators has to stop,” she wrote.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ has contacted Live Nation for comment.
