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08-16-15
Matisyahu Cancelled After
'Refusing to Endorse the Palestinian State'
A Spanish music festival has
cancelled a performance by Jewish reggae star Matisyahu - because he refused to
produce a statement clearly endorsing "Palestinian statehood."
A
Spanish music festival has cancelled a performance by Jewish reggae star
Matisyahu - because he refused to produce a statement clearly endorsing
"Palestinian statehood," according to Spanish media outlets.
Matisyahu - who shot to fame as a bearded "hassidic raggae" star, before leaving
Orthodox Judaism in 2011 - was due to appear at the Rototom Sunsplash festival
in Benicassim, north of Valencia. The yearly music festival is the European
tribute to the major Jamaican reggae festival of the same name.
But
despite shedding his skullcap, beard, peyot - and most of his religion in
general - Matisyahu maintains a strong sense of Jewish identity, and is an
unashamed supporter of the State of Israel - a fact that drew ire from
anti-Israel boycott campaigners from the Valencian branch of the "BDS" movement.
The boycotters claimed he supported "an apartheid state which practices
ethnic-cleansing," according to Spain's El Pais daily, and demanded the festival
cancel his appearance.
After days of pressure, concert organizers eventually capitulated, pulling his
August 22 performance.
In a
shocking display of overt politicization, Rototom Director Filippo Giunta
reportedly turned to Matisyahu and demanded heproduce a "signed statement or
video" which stated "in a very clear way" that he supported the establishment of
a Palestinian Arab state, as a precondition to performing.
"If you sign these conditions, you
can continue the performance," Giunta said he told the artist, according to
Europa News.
Matisyahu's performance was
cancelled after he refused to respond to the ultimatum.
The
reggae and alternative rock star's appearance in Spain is just one of a number
of stops during his tour of Europe this summer, which also includes Poland,
Belgium, Germany, Ukraine and the Czech Republic, before his return for a
whirlwind tour of the US.
Courtesy of israelnn.com