Letter from Roger Waters to singer Lana Del Rey who has announced her plan to defy the international boycott of Apartheid Israel (See our earlier post: https://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2018/08/23/lana-del-rey-cancel-your-show-in-apartheid-israel/ )
Dear Lana Del Rey
I have been reading your comments on Twitter, maybe I can help clear a couple of things up. Palestine is a unique situation in that the BDS picket line exists at the request of Palestine civil society as a whole. To respect it as I, and many others do, is a political act of support for the Palestinian people in their struggle for basic human rights. To cross it, conversely, is a political act in support of the apartheid state that would deny them those basic human rights. Even if in your heart of hearts you believe yourself to be neutral. As Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu rightly says, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” I implore you, and any other act considering crossing the picket line, to perform at the Meteor Festival to consider long and hard, I have no doubt the Israeli promoters are paying top dollar, they are well known for that, but is the price worth passing up your moment on the road to Damascus and abandoning your Palestinian brothers and sisters to their fate in their hour of need ?
Love
R.
PS. Great news just in, Black Motion cancel!
“BDS South Africa can confirm that we did reach out to the management of Black Motion, who graciously met with us, were open to the information we provided including the letter written by Palestinians (https://bdsmovement.net/meteor) and a letter by progressive Jewish Israeli allies (http://boycottisrael.info/node/346) urging artists to boycott Israel and not to perform at the upcoming Meteor Festival. We thank them for both their willingness to engage and their decision to not perform in Israel.”
Much love and respect to our brothers in Black Motion. R.
Hey Lana Del Rey
Thank you for responding to my post. Though I regret your decision to play at Meteor Festival – פסטיבל מטאור, I am glad that you at least seem open to having a conversation. There’s an article that came out in The Guardian last week that you might find interesting, here is a link, please give it a read and let me know what you think.
https://www.theguardian.com/…/bds-boycott-divestment-sancti…
Also please, please, do take the time to go and see conditions in the West Bank and/or Gaza for yourself, it is a devastating experience, shocking beyond all imagination.
Love
Roger Waters
Roger Waters offers special tributes to the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza
Roger Waters has paid special tributes to the Freedom Flotilla during his concerts recently in Oslo, Norway:
‘There is a guy here, in fact there are five of them, who I saw half time. I want to send a special thank you for them because they have just come back from an Israeli prison. This was the captain and the crew of the Norwegian boat that was part of the flotilla that sailed to Gaza. These guys are kind of heroes of mine.’
During his second concert (see Youtube video above) he said: ‘Last night I met five guys who’d just come back from prison in a seaport in Israel, because they were part of the flotilla that took medical supplies to try and break the blockade of Gaza. I’m very proud of them ..’cos the Israeli’s stole all the bandages and other medicines that were on the boat (Audience loudly boo). See, it happens unfortunately in this strange world of ours… In 1948 the fledgling UN made a Universal Declaration on Human Rights, where it was enshrined that all our brothers and sisters all over the world, irrespective of their religion, ethnicity or nationality, deserve equal civil and human rights (cheers). It’s not rocket science – this would include, of course, our brothers and sisters in Gaza – who your countrymen were trying to help in that heroic voyage across the Mediterranean.’
Roger Waters meet Norwegian participants on the Freedom Flotilla back stage:
[Photo: Ship to Gaza Norway]
Kia Ora Gaza 