Spanish music festival disinvites Matisyahu
World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald S. Lauder expressed “outrage” and “utter bewilderment” on Sunday at news that a music festival in Spain had disinvited an American Jewish musician for failing to sign a pro-Palestinian declaration.
Lauder declared: “This is a clear instance of antisemitism, and nothing else.” He urged Spanish authorities “to condemn this sad incident and to take appropriate action against those responsible for it.”
Matisyahu
News media reported on Sunday that the appearance of the US reggae singer Matisyahu, who is Jewish, was canceled by the organisers of the Rototom Sunsplash festival, which will take place next weekend in Benicàssim, in eastern Spain, following pressure from the anti-Israel BDS movement.
Lauder added: “Matisyahu is an American Jew. More importantly, like everybody else in a free and democratic society, he not only has a right to express his views – whether you agree with them or not — but he also has every right not to have the repugnant views of the festival organisers imposed on him. He is a musician who has been denied the opportunity to play his planned gig at a European reggae festival purely because he is Jewish and because he refuses to side with the vicious and bigoted BDS movement.
“And to the people of Spain, I say this: Being a ‘Zionist’ and supporting Israel has nothing to do with supporting apartheid. Rather, it is about supporting democracy, the rule of law, freedom, openness and diversity.”
The WJC president declared: “The Rototom Sunsplash festival benefits from financial support from public authorities. I very much hope that they will convey a clear message to the organizers that either they re-invite Matisyahu and apologize for their outrageous behavior, or they pay back that financial aid, because antisemitism and racism must not be rewarded by public support – not in Spain, and not anywhere else.”
It is all very well for this performer saying he will sign nothing.
What I find outrageous is that this American Jew will not stand by Israel and forcefully state that under present circumstances the so called “peace process” is dead and buried, that no nation should negotiate with terrorists, that both Hamas and the PA need to be crushed and brought to their knees and they can stick their request for a political statement where the sun don’t shine.
In Israel these days their happens to be one spineless government after the other but that should not prevent others, when the opportunity arises, to say what needs to be said.
But then what can one expect from American Jewry, the majority of whom are totally ill informed and clearly in the majority voted not once but twice, for that clear and present danger to Israel, Barack Hussein Obama.
In Spain an American Jew is made to sign a document denouncing Israel if he wants to come there to perform in a concert. Over 500 years ago, also in Spain, Jews were made to sign documents to denounce their religion, if they wanted to live. Apart from the consequences, not much else has changed much.