Lorde Accused Of Bigotry After Canceling Concert In Israel

Lorde is being accused of bigotry after she canceled a summer gig in Tel Aviv.

LORDE ACCUSED OF BIGOTRY AFTER CANCELING ISRAELI SHOW

Lorde is promoting her latest album Melodrama and was scheduled to perform in the Israeli city. Last week, the singer canceled the show after facing protests from the pro-Palestine Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement. That group had previously unsuccessfully lobbied for Radiohead and Nick Cave to cancel their shows in Israel last year. An open letter to the singer from The Spinoff warned Lorde not to perform in Israel, as it would be seen as a political act.

“I 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 said at the time. “I’m not proud to admit I didn’t make the right call on this one.”

An ad in the Washington Post was taken out and calls Lorde a bigot. “Lorde and New Zealand ignore Syria to attack Israel,” it reads. “21 is young to become a bigot.” The shot at New Zealand is in reference to the country’s December vote in favor of a United Nations resolution calling for the U.S. to withdraw the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The ad came from Orthodox Jewish rabbi Shmuley Boteach‘s This World: The Values Network.

Lorde also faced criticism from Roseanne Barr and the Israeli Ambassador in New Zealand Dr. Itzhak Gerberg, who requested a meeting with the singer after her cancelation. “It is regrettable that you have canceled your concert in Tel Aviv and have disappointed all your fans in Israel. Music is a wonderful language of tolerance and friendship, which brings people together,” he wrote on Facebook. “Your concert in Israel could have spread the message that solutions come from constructive engagement that leads to compromise and cooperation. Music should unite not divide and your performance in Israel could have contributed to the spirit of hope and peace in the Middle East.”