Thursday, July 20, 2017

UK: Is New York about to boycott Roger Waters?

It's a warning to many European BDS proponents...  
Roger Waters
Roger Waters could be prevented from playing concerts in New York State after a local Jewish lawmaker confirmed the former Pink Floyd frontman’s support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement was in violation of local law. 
Howard Kopel, who serves as a legislator for Nassau County in Long Island, pointed out that “Local Law 3-2016 bars companies from doing business with Nassau County if they participate in economic warfare against Israel. 
“The Nassau County Attorney confirms… Roger Waters' proposed upcoming tour dates at the Nassau Coliseum are indeed in violation of Local Law 3-2016”, he wrote in a social media post. 
“Allowing Waters - who actively promotes and encourages others to withdraw from commercial relations with Israel and other ‘BDS’ activities as defined by the law - to perform at a county-owned facility …  not only violates the law, and the Coliseum Lease, but offends the sense of decency of our residents.” 
Last week the city of Miami Beach, Florida, cancelled a planned performance of local children with Mr Waters after the Greater Miami Jewish Federation accused Mr Waters of spreading “vile messages of antisemitism, anti-Zionism and hatred [which] are not welcome in our community”. 
Mr Waters has attempted to persuade other performers not to play in Israel. In the past few weeks, he has been a leading voice in the unsuccessful effort to pressurise Radiohead into cancelling their concert in Israel. 
However, Israel continues to attract some of the biggest bands and performers in the world. Last Saturday night, Guns N’ Roses played the largest concert in Israel’s history in Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park, with an attendance of over 62,000.

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