Singer Sam Smith Cancels Tel Aviv Concert, Gets Applauded by BDS Supporters

British singer Sam Smith has cancelled his performance in Israel in May and those supporting the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel are claiming it as a victory, thanking the singer for not performing in the country.

Smith was set to perform on May 31 as part of the Summer in the City two-day international festival at Park Hayarkon but his concert was called off due to “unexpected technical and logistical problems,” according to the production company. The concert was expected to be his first ever in Israel and was part of a world tour to promote his new album Gloria. The two-day festival has now been condensed to one day and all concerts will take place on June 1, with performances by Static, Calum Scott, Martin Garrix and Robbie Williams.

There is no clear indication that Smith cancelled his concert due to pressure from the BDS movement and Smith has not released a comment about the announcement.

Before his show was dropped, over 11,000 people signed a petition urging him to axe the performance in Tel Aviv. Many on social media echoed the same sentiment by posting #SamDontGo, and inside and outside of the singer’s recent concert in London, the group Queers for Free Palestine also called for the artist to not perform in Israel, according to PACBI.

Ghadir Shafie, co-founder of Aswat – Palestinian Feminist Queer Movement for Sexual and Gender Freedoms, wrote in a letter to the singer that performing in Israel “helps prop up the false image of Israel as a modern, democratic society … It may sound benign, but it is what allows Israel to continue its wholesale theft of Palestinian life, land, and dignity.”

In March, the metal band Papa Roach cancelled their performance in the Summer in the City festival “for reasons unrelated to the production,” said producers of the event. However, band members said in a radio interview that they never intended on playing in Israel.

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