More than 100 artists sign letter supporting Lorde’s decision to cancel Tel Aviv concert
More than 100 artists have signed an open letter in support of New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde over her decision to cancel her Tel Aviv concert.
The musicians Roger Waters and Peter Gabriel, and the actors John Cusack and Mark Ruffalo are among the influential artists who defended the singer after she was criticised in a scathing advertisement in The Washington Post.
The full-page black and white ad, taken out by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, called Lorde a bigot and accused her and New Zealand of prejudice against Israel.
It featured a photo of the singer superimposed over an image of men cradling infants while running through a war-torn city with the caption: “Lorde and New Zealand ignore Syria to attack Israel.”
“We deplore the bullying tactics being used to defend injustice against Palestinians and to suppress an artist’s freedom of conscience,” the artists’ letter in The Guardian said. “We support Lorde’s right to take a stand.”
It said that Mr Boteach “has nothing to teach artists about human rights”.
Mr Boteach, a supporter of Israel’s illegal settlements, replied on Twitter: “So we got seriously under the skin of arch anti-Semite Roger Waters.”
Mr Boteach also used Twitter to call for financial support.
“Help us to raise $100,000 to respond to BDS,” he said, referring to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which has backed Lorde’s decision to cancel.
Israel, on Sunday, published a blacklist of 20 international organisations that promote a boycott campaign against Israel and whose members are now banned from the country. Many of the groups are affiliated with the BDS movement.
“The boycott organisations need to know that the state of Israel will act against them and not allow them to enter its territory to harm its citizens,” said Gilad Erdan, the strategic affairs minister.
Lorde was scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv on June 5 but cancelled the show just days after US president Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.