BDS wins again: Big Thief cancels “Tel Aviv” gigs
Following a wave of boycott pressure, a US-based indie rock band has canceled upcoming shows in “Israel”.
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Big Thief cancels “Tel Aviv” gigs.
The indie rock band Big Thief has canceled two shows in “Tel Aviv”, marking the latest victory for the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement.
Big Thief, a four-member rock band, was scheduled to perform at “Tel Aviv's” Barby on July 6 and 7.
It is worth noting that the group’s bass player, Max Oleartchik, is Israeli.
The band effectively listened to its audience, urging them not to perform in apartheid “Israel”.
“We are sorry to those we hurt with the recklessness and naivete of our original statement on playing in Israel,” Big Thief said on Thursday.
Palestinians have reacted positively to the move.
On its account, PACBI, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of "Israel", said: “We salute Big Thief’s courage and their willingness to listen to the oppressed.”
“We recognize, too, the clear position of a majority of the group’s fans of principled support for BDS,” PACBI stressed.
Furthermore, the band added that it now realizes the “magnitude” of the matter.
“We oppose the illegal occupation and the systematic oppression of the Palestinian people,” Big Thief added.
We will be canceling our 2 shows in Tel Aviv. pic.twitter.com/ocSFtgnYz4
— Big Thief (@bigthiefmusic) June 9, 2022
“We believe in total freedom and self-determination for all Palestinians.”
“Although we have much to learn, these basic realities were never in question for us,” they said. “We also recognize there are limitations in our perspectives based on our various layers of privilege.”
Simultaneously, many supporters of Palestinian rights thanked the band on social media.
However, Barby, the “Tel Aviv” venue where the band was scheduled to perform, expressed their outrage at the band's announcement.
The venue bashed the band members, describing them as “a bunch of miserable musicians without a backbone who are afraid of their own shadow.”
"All the evil in the world!" the venue wished the band.
The vile response from Barby is unsurprising given its history of openly celebrating Israeli soldiers who murder Palestinians.
Barby "proudly handed out free T-shirts with the venue's logo and the words 'f**k you, we're from Israel' to soldiers who participated in the Israeli aggression on Gaza in 2014," PACBI highlighted.
The apartheid Tel Aviv venue Barby, where US band @bigthiefmusic was due to play next month, has announced the band’s cancellation of the shows. We warmly welcome this decision.
— PACBI (@PACBI) June 9, 2022
We salute Big Thief’s courage and their willingness to listen to the oppressed. #BigThiefSkipBarby pic.twitter.com/w8Cq2IWrRR
It is worth noting that “Israel” killed 11 Palestinian children on average per day during that 51-day brutal aggression.
The news also came as a slap to the face of pro-“Israel” lobbyists.
In 2017, Big Thief performed at the same “Tel Aviv” venue. It had planned to do so again in March 2020, but due to the pandemic, the show was canceled.
Following “Israel's” 11-day bombardment of Gaza in May 2021, major artists pledged not to perform in “Israel” and urged others to do the same.
Patti Smith, Noname, Run the Jewels, Sun City Girls, Broken Social Scene, Rage Against the Machine, Julian Casablancas, and Vic Mensa are among those who have signed the Musicians for Palestine pledge.
The artists urge their colleagues to "publicly declare their solidarity with Palestinian people," because "complicity with Israeli war crimes is found in silence."
