MADRID (AP) – The World Jewish Congress wrote to the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, to protest the cancellation of a concert of Jewish American singer Matisyahu a reggae festival, after the artist positioned on the decline creation of a Palestinian state.
The Congress President Ronald S. Lauder, said Wednesday it asked Rajoy to condemn the cancellation and added that the “scandalous behavior” of Rototom Sunsplash festival organizers required a strong response from Spain.
In the letter sent Tuesday, Lauder said “such anti-Semitic overtones (of the decision) do not benefit Spain”, adding the Spanish Jewish community and elsewhere are deeply concerned about the incident.
Moreover, Lauder praised in his letter the steps recently taken by Madrid to improve relations with the Jewish community, especially with the adoption of a law allowing family forced to flee the country in 1492 may obtain Spanish nationality Sephardic Jews.
The World Jewish Congress suggested the government a withdrawal of public funding received by the Rototom Sunsplash festival, which begins this weekend in east of the country.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry issued a statement Tuesday night criticizing the cancellation, noting that the demands made by the organizers only Matisyahu “is a form of action which violates the conscience” .
He added that Spain understands the distress of Jewish communities and noted that the country opposes boycott campaigns against Israel. Affairs also reiterated its support for the creation of a Palestinian state through negotiations.
The festival organizers said they canceled the concert on August 22 rejected because Matisyahu position to the Israeli-Palestinian
The decision came after a pro-Palestinian organization, Movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), made a campaign against Matisyahu participation in the event.
Matisyahu, whose name is Matthew Miller, used Monday at his Facebook page to say that the organizers were pressured by pro-Palestinian group and wanted him to “write a letter, or engraven a video, explaining my position on Zionism and the conflict Palestinian Israel to appease the people of BDS “.
” Support peace and compassion for everyone. My music speaks for itself, and I do not put politics in my music, “he wrote
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