The international pop scene cannot do much in view of the brutal war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, artists act against the feeling of complete helplessness and helplessness.
In a short note for the entertainment portal “TMZ”, Gene Simmons speaks out in favor of a complete concert boycott: “Show your solidarity: don’t play in Russia,” said the Kiss bassist. Any show by a western band would see the Putin regime as a sign of approval.
Soul legend Stevie Wonder appealed to universal solidarity in a video message released over the weekend. Under the headline: “UKRAINE, YOU AND I…. THE WORLD” he condemns Russia’s invasion. Commitment to Ukraine means waging a “battle for the soul of the world”. “Only all of humanity can prevent World War III. We must confront hatred and kill it before it kills us. I believe in the power of the people, of the whole people. We can stop this now.”
UKRAINE, YOU AND I…. THE WORLD pic.twitter.com/6Cx6VixxzU
— Stevie Wonder (@StevieWonder) March 4, 2022
Nick Cave, in turn, has already canceled all planned concerts in Russia, along with Green Day and many Western pop artists. “Ukraine, we stand with you” was a message from his tour agency. Now he’s responding to accusations of “double standards” after refusing to boycott Israel in 2017. This dispute is fought on Cave’s Red Hand Files website, which is designed as a question-and-answer forum.
Under entry #186, a user named Ahmed from Istanbul criticized that he would apply different standards in terms of solidarity. He would support the commitment to Ukraine in principle. “Nevertheless, at the time, you did not express such clear and undivided solidarity with the Palestinian people, who are also subjected to such brutal treatment,” Ahmed writes.
At the time, Cave was also attacked by BDS agitators Roger Waters and Thurston Moore. Nevertheless, he vehemently defended his gigs. He would love Israel and the Israeli people. It was also about a principled statement against any attempt to “censor or silence musicians.”
Now, in a lengthy reply beginning with “Dear Ahmed,” Cave clarifies that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is simply not the same as the conflict between Israel and Palestine. On the one hand, a brutal, unprovoked attack by one state on another in the hope of overhauling the entire security structure of Europe. On the other hand, a deeply complex clash between two nations in which the frontline situation is far from easy.
“What both conflicts have in common is the tragic fate of all innocent people living in fear for their lives in bomb shelters, and I feel deep sympathy for all of these communities, wherever – and whoever – they are.”
He did not want to repeat his views on the Israel/Palestine conflict. Just this much: over the past twenty years he has taken part in various events to collect money for schools in Palestinian communities. “But this is not the time for such debates, Ahmet. It is time to unite in unequivocal support and love for the people of Ukraine,” Cave wrote.