Singer and songwriter Lorde has joined over 1000 other musical artists who have geo-blocked their music from Israeli listeners as part of the “No Music for Genocide” boycott campaign on Friday.
According to the No Music for Genocide (NMFG) website, their goal is to “delegitimize Israel” and facilitate a “cultural boycott” of Israel in response to “the music industry's ties to weapons and crimes against humanity.”
Popular artists participating in the boycott, along with Lorde include Paramore, Hayley Williams, Björk, and Kneecap.
Irish band Kneecap has a notorious history of anti-Israel and antisemitic actions. During a performance at the Coachella music festival in April, they projected the words “F*** Israel. Free Palestine” on a giant screen and accused Israel of committing war crimes.
Anti-Israel rhetoric
The NMFG website’s frequently asked questions page clarified the views held by the organization with many answers including anti-Israel rhetoric.
In response to a question asking why the organization is not boycotting other countries, the website stated that while “Western powers have colluded with zionists to assault Palestinian and Arab rights and destroy democracy in the region,” it is “challenging to actively boycott” the Western nations where many supporters live.
Their response to the question “is it antisemitic to criticize and boycott Israel?” began with “No :)” before elaborating that their current priority is not "bad faith accusations of antisemitism.”
Antizionism is referred to as a “Jewish tradition” by NMFG in the same answer, claiming that many years before the Holocaust, “countless Jewish scholars and religious leaders vehemently opposed zionism” and the creation of the state of Israel.
NMFG is a part of the larger boycott, divest, and sanction (BDS) movement. BDS-aligned organizations have called for Israelis to be banned from many cultural events, like music and film festivals, sporting events, and Eurovision.