Pop stars and celebrities are no strangers to liberal media influence.
Singer Lorde decided to cancel a concert in Tel Aviv after reading a pro-Palestine criticism published in a New Zealand magazine called The Spinoff. In the article, headlined, “Dear Lorde, Here’s Why We’re Urging You Not to Play Israel,” Nadia Abu-Shanab and Justine Sachs wrote, “A performance in Israel sends the wrong message. Playing in Tel Aviv will be seen as giving support to the policies of the Israeli government, even if you make no comment on the political situation.”
Lorde responded by cancelling her tour, with the statement, “Hey guys, so about this israel show -- i’ve received an overwhelming number of messages & letters and have had a lot of discussions with people holding many views, and i think the right decision at this time is to cancel the show.”
She gave her apologies and reasons for cancelling: “I pride myself on being an informed young citizen, and i had done a lot of reading and sought a lot of opinions before deciding to book a show in tel aviv, but I’m not too proud to admit i didn’t make the right call on this one. Tel aviv, it’s been a dream of mine to visit this beautiful part of the world for many years, and i’m truly sorry to reverse my commitment to come play for you. I hope one day we can all dance.” (Typos her own)
But while the complaints in the article caused Lorde to cancel her show in Israel, according to Variety, the singer still has two concerts planned in Russia: one in Moscow, and one in St. Petersburg. Since the singer seems so concerned with humanitarian interests (the article stated that there was “an apartheid” in Israel against Palestinians), one wonders if she, as an “informed young citizen,” is aware of the many abuses in Russia, especially the anti-LGBT laws that have caused an uproar in recent months.
Pro-Israel comedienne Roseanne Barr called the singer a “bigot” and called for a boycott of her music. Jewish leaders in Australia, including Dvir Abramovich, chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commision, said “Jews were disappointed Lorde had succumbed to pressure.” Abramovich told the Daily Mail, “Lorde has succumbed to a relentless campaign that uses malicious double standards to isolate and malign Israel.”
According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Lorde is not the only musician who has recently cancelled a show in Israel. Elvis Costello and Lana Del Rey are just among some of the artists who refused to play for the free people of Israel.
