02 February 2018
Newsdesk
Two pro-Palestinian activists who encouraged Lorde to cancel a concert in Israel have brushed off reports they are facing legal action.
The Royals hitmaker abandoned plans to perform in Tel Aviv in June (18), after she was lobbied by members of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, who demand artists cut cultural ties with the Jewish state as a protest about Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
Attorneys at Israeli law centre Shurat HaDin announced this week that they had filed suit against New Zealand-based campaigners Justine Sachs and Nadia Abu-Shanab, after they called on their homeland's top performer to scrap the controversial show and "take a stand" for Palestinians in an open letter.
Their appeal caught Lorde's attention and she addressed the protest via Twitter, writing, "Noted! Been speaking (with) many people about this and considering all options. Thank u for educating me i am learning all the time too (sic)."
She pulled the Tel Aviv show within days, confessing she hadn't "made the right call" in booking the gig in the first place.
The Shurat HaDin representatives are suing the pair of protesters under a 2011 statute in Israel, which allows civil lawsuits to be brought against anyone calling for a boycott against the nation. They launched the legal action in Jerusalem on Tuesday (30Jan18) on behalf of three Israelis who wanted to attend the concert, seeking $13,000 (£9,200) in damages for each spurned gig-goer.
However, Sachs and Abu-Shanab are unconcerned about the suit.
Responding to the reports on Thursday (01Feb18), they insisted no formal notice of the lawsuit had been received, declaring, "On this basis, as far as we are concerned, this 'case' has no legitimacy."
They went on to mock the claim for damages for "the moral and emotional injury" suffered by the Israeli Lorde fans, adding, "We all loved (Lorde album) Melodrama, but really?"
"The fact is, Israel is attempting to suppress those who dare criticise their human rights abuses...," the statement continued. "Israel's unapologetic disregard for freedom of speech won't wash with New Zealanders..."
"With our open letter to Lorde we joined a chorus of millions of people across the world who are calling for justice and peace in Israel/Palestine," they concluded. "Instead of scaring us, these bullying tactics only embolden us and make it self-evident that there is a right and wrong in this situation. We are proud to stand for what is right."
