Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Lorde: Roseanne Barr calls singer a 'bigot' for cancelling Israel show

Lorde's decision came after she received an 'overwhelming number of messages and letters'

Christopher Hooton
Tuesday 26 December 2017 10:34 GMT
Comments
(Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Emmy Award winner and loyal Trump supporter Roseanne Barr has called for a counter-boycott of Lorde after she cancelled a scheduled concert in Tel Aviv for political reasons.

The New Zealand singer said in a statement that she has decided not play in the Israeli city next summer following “lots of discussions”.

“Boycott this bigot: Lorde caves to BDS pressure, cancels Israel concert,” Barr wrote on Twitter, linking to The Jerusalem Post’s article on the matter.

When another user suggested the singer had been bullied by “trolls” from the Boycott, Divest, Sanction movement, Barr added (sic): “if they do not know enough about hating jews after WW2-they NEVER will-i say fuck them.”

The sitcom star has amassed a sizeable following on Twitter thanks to her public support for Trump and pro-Israel stance.

Lorde joins artists including Roger Waters and Elvis Costello in boycotting Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.

Lorde said that after having “lots of discussions” about the matter, “I’m not too proud to admit I didn’t make the right call on this one.”

The cancellation was welcomed by members of the BDS movement. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel posted a statement on Twitter thanking the artist for “heeding appeals from your fans against Israel’s art-washing of its brutal oppression of Palestinians.”

Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev said she hoped Lorde would reconsider her decision.

“Lorde, I expect you to be a pure heroine, like the title of your first album, a pure culture hero, free of any external — and if I may add, delusional — political considerations,” Regev said in a statement.

The Israeli concert promoter responded to the cancellation: “We forgive her.”

Additional reporting by AP.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in