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10:37, 01-Feb-2018
Israeli fans sue New Zealand activists over cancelled concert
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Israeli fans of singer Lorde are using a contentious law to sue two New Zealanders for allegedly persuading her to cancel a planned concert in Tel Aviv in June.
Shurat Hadin, an NGO "using court systems around the world to go on the legal offensive against Israel's enemies," filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in a Jerusalem court.
It is suing on behalf of three teenage girls who had bought tickets for the New Zealander's concert.
The 2011 law opens the door to civil lawsuits against anyone calling for a boycott against Israel, including of lands it has occupied, if that call could knowingly lead to a boycott. Critics said it would stifle free expression.
"We hope that the court will implement the law and rule damages to the plaintiffs, so boycott activists will know there's a price to any article or incitement against Israeli citizens," Shurat Hadin director Nitsana Darshan-Leitner said in a statement.
The two New Zealand activists, Justine Sachs and Nadia Abu-Shanab – one Jewish and one Palestinian – penned an open letter to Lorde last year in which they urged her to "take a stand" and "join the artistic boycott of Israel."
A Palestinian man gestures as workers guarded by Israeli troops dismantle his structure in the West Bank village of Yatta, near Hebron, January 31, 2018. /VCG Photo
A Palestinian man gestures as workers guarded by Israeli troops dismantle his structure in the West Bank village of Yatta, near Hebron, January 31, 2018. /VCG Photo
The New Zealand singer-songwriter replied to a tweet of the letter saying "Noted!...Thank u for educating me i am learning all the time too."
She cancelled her show days later.
The plaintiffs are now suing the New Zealanders for 45,000 shekels (13,176 US dollars).
"This is not against Lorde, we love her, we love her music,” said one of the girls, Ayelet Wurtzel. “We are a little bit disappointed that… she was so easily swayed by other people.
"We're not doing this to get any money, the lawsuit is a moral, ideological lawsuit. We just want to send a message that if you call to boycott against Israel, you will have to deal with the ramifications afterwards and everything that comes with it."
The movement behind the pressure on Lorde is known as BDS – Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions – and says it is inspired by the campaign that targeted South Africa's apartheid regime and is seeking an end to Israel's occupation of the West Bank.
A few politically active musicians have called off shows in Israel over the past years, including Lauryn Hill and Elvis Costello.
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Source(s): AP
,AFP