Organisers of a music festival in Germany have canceled a performance by Lankum because of their stance on Palestine.
The concert was due to take place on Sunday night in Leipzig as part of the TransCentury Festival.
This disgraceful move reflects an atmosphere of repression that is meted out to anyone who stands up for Palestine.
The German state has systematically banned many Palestinian protests.
In Berlin, bans have been issued against protests with titles such as “Peace in the Middle East” or “Jewish Berliners Against Violence in the Middle East,” a rally organised by Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East, a Jewish organisation.
A ban was also imposed on a Youth Against Racism rally which was called after a high school teacher hit a student who had brought a Palestinian flag to school. Throughout, there have been shocking scenes of police brutalising protestors.
We should not accept the argument that this repression is caused by ‘German guilt.’
For one thing, why should this ‘guilt’ be offloaded onto one of the biggest Palestinian communities in Europe.
The repression rises from a deliberate strategy of equating all pro-Palestinian protests with antisemitism.
Lankum will be playing at a concert at the 3Arena in Dublin for the Gig for Gaza on Tuesday, November 28.
The band said ‘we are very proud to raise our voices in solidarity with the people of Palestine. It’s the very very least we can do’.
Fair play to them.