- Music
- 23 Dec 17
Lorde has tweeted that she is considering cancelling a planned concert in Israel after facing intense pressure from fans.
The 21-year-old singer responded to criticism and an open letter asking her not to play in Tel Aviv as a sign of protest against Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Nadia Abu-Shanab and Justine Sachs wrote an open letter to the singer about her planned performance on The Spinoff, writing "Today, millions of people stand opposed to the Israeli government’s policies of oppression, ethnic cleansing, human rights violations, occupation and apartheid. As part of this struggle, we believe that an economic, intellectual and artistic boycott is an effective way of speaking out against these crimes. This worked very effectively against apartheid in South Africa, and we hope it can work again."
The open letter was tweeted to Lorde repeatedly, and the singer responded to fans on Twitter. saying she was taking advice on the complexities of the political situation and was “considering all options”.
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“Noted!,” Lorde wrote. “Been speaking w many people about this and considering all options. Thank u for educating me i am learning all the time too”
The organisation Jewish Voice for Peace tweeted about the story, saying @We hope you do the right thing @lorde. No artists regret boycotting Apartheid in South Africa and you won’t regret making a righteous decision either."