Justin Bieber faces backlash in SA over 'Israel' concert
It is looking like Justin Bieber will still perform in occupied Palestine despite all the calls for him to boycott the occupation.
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Canadian singer Justin Bieber at the 2021 Met Gala, United States, on September 13, 2021
Canadian pop star Justin Bieber is facing mounting scrutiny in South Africa over an upcoming trip to "Israel" where he will perform, with South Africans threatening to cancel the singer if he does not cancel the trip.
Activists from the Africa4Palestine youth group have purchased a large number of tickets to his upcoming Justice World Tour, promising to disrupt Bieber's concerts that will take place in Cape Town in late September and Johannesburg on October 1.
The group, alongside the Palestinian civil society, is calling on Bieber to respect the boycott of the Israeli apartheid regime and cancel his concert set in "Tel Aviv" on October 13.
The singer's tour is ironically called the "Justice World Tour", a title that describes the main value the Israeli occupation refutes when dealing with Arabs in general, and Palestinians in particular.
The group recalled how artists crossed the red line and "was on the wrong side of history [...] when he performed in Apartheid South Africa." They compared what happened back then to what is happening today. "Likewise, today, an artist has crossed the picket line when he or she performs in Apartheid Israel."
Read: 'Israel's' dangerous weapon: Normalization through arts and culture
Since the launch of the cultural boycott of the Israeli occupation, the group said, "Thousands of artists across the world have canceled their Israeli gigs and refused to perform in Apartheid Israel, including a host of global superstars such as Roger Waters from Pink Floyd, Lauryn Hill, Chuck D, LadySmith Black Mambazo, Lorde from Australia, Salif Keita of Mali and many others."
Africa4Palestine concluded its statement by calling on Justin Bieber to cancel his gig in "Israel", warning of a serious backlash.
"South Africans and many others across the world will not accept a 'Justice' tour which includes Apartheid Israel."
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The calls for Bieber to boycott the Israeli occupation have been ongoing since November of last year, with various organizations calling on the singer to cancel his scheduled performance.
US grassroots organization Codepink started a petition requesting Bieber to refuse the blatant trespassing of human rights perpetrated by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians by canceling his show.
In its open letter, Codepink stressed the fact that “Israel is practicing apartheid” as the occupation “dispossesses Palestinians from their lands, demolishes Palestinian homes, subjects Palestinians to checkpoints, child imprisonment, and numerous daily humiliations and violence.”
This is not the first time that Bieber comes under fire, as he was the subject of an online campaign over performing in Saudi Arabia, mainly led by Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose 2018 murder inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul sparked international outrage.
"This is a unique opportunity to send a powerful message to the world that your name and talent will not be used to restore the reputation of a regime that kills its critics," Cengiz told Bieber in a Washington Post op-ed.
