UPDATE: Nick Cave Defends Israel Concert, Accuses Protestors Of Bullying Musicians
ORIGINAL STORY: Nick Cave and his band The Bad Seeds are copping criticism ahead of two shows set to take place in Tel Aviv, Israel in November.
NME reports that a group of outspoken artists under the banner of Artists For Palestine UK have written an open letter to Cave, urging him to cancel the shows.
Artists For Palestine UK has over 1200 creatives currently in its membership, including Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and Tunde Adebimpe from TV On The Radio.
“Domination means Palestinian writers under house arrest,” says the letter. “Literary festivals broken up. Travel bans for actors and musicians. Social media under surveillance. Media centres raided and plundered. The normalized use of military force against a captive population. The steady expansion of illegal settlements.”
“These are crimes. But when international artists of your stature, despite the appeals of Palestinians, continue to turn up on Israeli stages, the government which promotes these crimes takes heart: whatever it does, it seems there will be no penalty,” it continues.
“Like others who’ve added Tel Aviv to their touring schedule, you may say that you oppose Netanyahu. But it matters little whether or not artists endorse Israel’s government. It’s the fact they’re willing to perform in Israel that is important.”
Artists For Palestine UK have previously called for Thom Yorke to cancel Radiohead’s Israel shows, but were ultimately unsuccessful.
Read the full letter here, which Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have not yet responded to.
