Today, Moby released this statement on his website, confirming that he will indeed be playing in Israel on July 12th--despite a campaign urging him not to, and in contravention of the call from Palestine for BDS. His words are unfortunately sanctimonious, but all the easier to poke holes in:
"If you go to america does that mean you support american foreign and domestic policy? Does a visit to america mean that you support guantanamo? If you visit italy does that mean you support berlusconi? If you visit the uk does that mean you're a happy supporter of david cameron?"
It's a very one-sided view that necessarily defers to the oppressor. But what of the oppressed? What if those in Iraq or Afghanistan were calling for a boycott of the US in protest of the occupations? What if Italy's Roma population were requesting the world's citizens impose some sort of sanction on the country in opposition to the racist discrimination against them? If the 750,000 workers who struck last week in the UK demanded the world take some action in solidarity, would Moby so quickly turn his head?
That's the rub: BDS and the cultural boycott of Israel isn't just about the awful policies of corrupt and draconian governments. It's about the victims of those policies rising up against them, and the ability of the global community to respond in support. Pitching the argument in this way has been a crucial part of BDS gaining traction. It's one of the reasons that the cultural wing of BDS is the wing that the Israeli government fears that most.
In that spirit, here's this vid from a Canadian group of activists represented on the flotilla stuck in the Greek harbor now:
Gaza Island from Albino Squirrel Channel on Vimeo.
2 comments:
I say people throw shit at his house until he gets the message!
Maybe a bulldozer out front would do the trick!
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