Unfortunately the opposition lobby has a lot of muscle too.

It is time for “Rock Against Racism” to show some of it’s muscle by refusing to lend our names to the whitewashing of the illegal colonization of Palestinian land and the systematic oppression of its indigenous people. He was explicit in his position and I quote, ” We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians”.

The late, great, Nelson Mandela lives on in us, we cannot let him down. That you would lend support to, and encourage and legitimize, with your presence, a colonial apartheid regime, largely settled from Europe, that seeks to confine the native people of the land, either in exile or in second class status in reservations and ghettos.Īs I recall, back in the day, along with the rest of us (Stevie van Zandt, Bruce, Led Zep etc etc etc etc) you would not “Play In Sun City” I am asking you to stand on the same moral ground now. I find it hard to believe that you would turn your back on the indigenous people of Palestine. Neil Young! You are one of my biggest heroes, you are one of a very short list, you, John Lennon, Woody Guthrie, Huddy Ledbetter, Harry Belafonte, Sam Cooke, Billie Holiday and, like some others, but not many, your songs have always been redolent of love and humanity and compassion for your fellow man and woman. The picket lines have been crossed in this last year by one or two lightweights from our community but no one of your stature. There are rumors flying about that you are considering doing shows in Tel Aviv this year. Here is the letter, posted to Waters’ Facebook page: This letter also includes a supporting quote from the late Nelson Mandela, “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians”. The letter to Neil Young is a bit more intimate, beginning with a short description of his respect for the musician, and mentions of past musical legends who had an “agreement”, of sorts, not to perform in Israel. Waters‘ letter to Young has a similar tone to the one he penned to Rolling Stone, including his usual references to Apartheid in South Africa, as well as propagandist practices. Psybient collective, Shpongle (live), was forced to cancel a desert concert, which fortunately was rescheduled later, although the location remained undisclosed until 2 weeks prior to the event, most likely due to potential security issues/threats. Stevie Wonder cancelled an appearance at the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces Gala in 2012. However, they recently made the decision to rebook gigs in Israel, playing two concerts this past June in Tel Aviv along with Soundgarden. The music community is no stranger to persnickety performance dates in the Middle East The Pixies had to cancel a show in 2010 due to military conflict affecting the Gaza area. He is firm that it is “propagandist machines” that he’s against, not the Jewish faith. The floating pig depicted many different corporate and religious iconography. Roger’s caveats are usually met with accusation of antisemitism, like the infamous pig controversy during his The Wall tours. This call to action is not out of the ordinary for Waters who, back in May 2014, wrote a similar letter to Rolling Stone, urging them to cancel a first-ever festival they scheduled in Israel. Neil Young & Crazy Horse have a show July 17 in Tel Aviv as part of their current tour. Waters sent Young the letter vis-à-vis Young‘s manager, Elliott Roberts, which was left unanswered. Ever the one to recognize the correlation between global political issues and the music community, Roger Waters recently published his letter to Neil Young, in which he implores the musician to cancel his band’s upcoming concert at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Young roger waters