Hollywood and music stars get behind Lorde after ‘bigot’ claims in Washington Post ad

MORE than 100 artists have signed a pledge of support for Kiwi musician Lorde after she was criticised for deciding not to perform in Israel. The letter, published in The Guardian on Saturday, was signed by a range of people including film director Ken Loach, musicians Brian Eno and Roger Waters and actors Mark Ruffalo and John Cusack. 

“We write in support of Lorde, who made public her decision not to perform in Israel and has now been branded a ‘bigot’ in a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post,” it read.

“We deplore the bullying tactics being used to defend injustice against Palestinians and to suppress an artist’s freedom of conscience. We support Lorde’s right to take a stand,” the letter, written and promoted by Shmuley Boteach said.

On Christmas Day Lorde cancelled a concert scheduled for Tel Aviv’s 15,000-seat Convention Centre on June 5 after criticism from activists in the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement.

Lorde said in a statement it was the right decision to cancel the show, Variety reported.

Later on, an advertisement was been taken out in The Washington Post calling her bigot and accused New Zealand of prejudice against Israel.

The ad on the fifth page of the paper’s December 31 edition — taken out by outspoken rabbi Shmuley Boteach’s This World: The Values Network — criticises the 21-year-old for joining “a global anti-semitic boycott of Israel” but still performing in Russia.

It features a large photo of the singer superimposed over a picture of men running through rubble cradling babies with the headline “Lorde and New Zealand ignore Syria to attack Israel”.

The Grammy winner this month cancelled a concert scheduled in Tel Aviv for June after criticism from activists in the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement.

The decision also came after an open letter written by two New Zealand fans argued the concert would show support for Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

The advertisement in the Post says Lorde’s decision showed how a “growing prejudice against the Jewish State” in New Zealand was “trickling down to its youth”.

It cites New Zealand’s choice in December to vote — along with 127 countries — in favour of a United Nations resolution calling for the United States to withdraw its decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

It also criticises New Zealand’s co-sponsorship last year of a UN resolution which condemned continued Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory and caused a six-month diplomatic rift with Israel.

“While Lorde claims to be concerned with human rights, she hypocritically chose to proceed with her two concerts in Putin’s Russia, despite his support for [Syrian president Bashar al-]Assad’s genocidal regime,” the ad reads.

“Let’s boycott the boycotters and tell Lorde and her fellow bigots that Jew- hatred has no place in the twenty-first century.”

The singer has also copped flak from the Jewish Council of New Zealand and the The Zionist Federation of New Zealand.

Israel’s ambassador to New Zealand, Itzhak Gerberg, last week invited Lorde to meet him in person.