PRO-PALESTINE activists have announced that they will protest outside Australian rock star Nick Cave’s gig in Glasgow this weekend.
The veteran musician has been criticised for his stance on a cultural boycott of Israel amid the war on Gaza – accusing him of refusing to “recognise the plight of Palestinians”.
However, Cave is not due to play in Israel on his current tour and appears not to have performed in the country since 2022.
In an interview with podcast Reason, Cave criticised the campaign for a cultural boycott of Israel – similar to that used against apartheid South Africa.
He said: “I struggle with the idea of using my music to punish ordinary people for the actions of their government.
“It's clearly not working in Israel right now. In my opinion, it energizes the worst elements of the current government. They exploit the isolation and the 'whole world is against us' mentality. It serves them to advance their malicious agendas – while at the same time punishing ordinary fans.”
Jill Thomson of Scottish Sport for Palestine said: “What is most staggering about Nick’s Reason interview is the fact that not once did he mention the injustices inflicted on Palestinians, who have been forced to live under Israel’s brutal occupation and in an apartheid system, deprived of human rights for 76 years.”
Maree Shepherd of Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card said: “The boycott of Israel is working, as internationally, people are choosing to withdraw their money from products and services linked to a genocidal illegal occupation.
“This week, an Israeli player, Shalom Ben Ami withdrew from competing at a World Bowls Tour contest in Scotland after our campaign saw more than 4000 people sign a petition against his country's participation.”
Earlier this week, Radiohead frontman walked off stage during a gig in Melborne after a heckler reportedly shouted at him: “How many dead children will it take for you to condemn the genocide in Gaza?”
