For over a decade now, members of the entertainment industry have felt pressured to avoid performing in Israel in protest of the country’s occupation of the Palestinian land. Nevertheless, several Western musicians — including Radiohead — are set to play shows in the country this summer.
Now, several of Radiohead’s contemporaries have signed an open letter asking the band “to think again” about playing the scheduled July 19th gig in Tel Aviv. The likes of Roger Waters, Thurston Moore, TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, and 50 others have put their names to the letter, which argues that “by playing in Israel you’ll be playing in a state where, UN rapporteurs say, ‘a system of apartheid has been imposed on the Palestinian people.'”
The letter goes on to note Radiohead’s past “campaigns for freedom of the Tibetans” as well as their gig for the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Surely if making a stand against the politics of division, of discrimination and of hate means anything at all, it means standing against it everywhere – and that has to include what happens to Palestinians every day,” the letter adds. “Otherwise the rest is, to use your words, ‘mere rhetoric.'”
You can read the full letter here. Somewhat awkwardly, Radiohead’s “sixth member,” Nigel Godrich, produced Waters’ forthcoming solo album.
Britney Spears is also set to play a show in Israel this summer, which actually forced the country to postpone an election.
Radiohead 2017 Tour Dates:
06/06 – Oslo, NO @ Spektrum ^
06/07 – Oslo, NO @ Spektrum ^
06/09 – Stockholm, SE @ Ericsson Globe ^
06/11 – Aarhus, DK @ NorthSide Festival
06/14 – Florence, IT @ Visarno Arena *
06/16 – Milan, IT @ Parco Di Monza (I-Days 2017) *
06/18 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival
06/20 – Dublin, IE @ 3Arena ^
06/23 – Pilton, UK @ Glasonbury Music Festival
06/28 – Gdynia, PL @ Open’er Festival
06/30 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter
07/02 – Arras, FR @ Main Square Festival
07/04 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Arena ^&
07/05 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Arena ^&
07/07 – Glasgow, UK @ TRNSMT Festival
07/19 – Tel Aviv, IS @ Park Hayarkon #
# = w/ Dudu Tassa & The Kuwaitis
^ = w/ Junun
* = w/ James Blake
& = w/ Oliver Coates
