Roseanne Barr blasts New Zealand pop star for caving to BDS pressure

Roseanne Barr slammed New Zealand pop star Lorde for succumbing to BDS pressure, calling to “boycott this bigot.”

By: World Israel News Staff

Emmy Award-winning American actress, comedian, writer, and television producer Roseanne Barr is calling for a boycott on Lorde, a New Zealand singer who recently caved in to pressure from the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and cancelled a gig in Tel Aviv that was scheduled for June.

“Boycott this bigot: Lorde caves to BDS pressure, cancels Israel concert,” Barr wrote on Twitter, linking to a report on the cancelation in The Jerusalem Post.

“She’s so privileged that she’s SCARED that she might have to live one second in the face of fascist anti-Semitism (that she approves of) like the Israelis/Jews do,” Barr said.

Lorde announced Sunday that she was canceling her performance in Israel due to pressure from BDS activists, according to the show’s organizers.

“I have had a lot of discussions with people holding many views, and I think the right decision at this time is to cancel the show,” Lorde told the Post. She said despite researching the issue before booking the Tel Aviv show, “I’m not too proud to admit I didn’t make the right call on this one.”

Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev expressed hope that 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.

BDS: ‘Small but loud group of extremist bullies’

New Zealand Jewish Council spokesman Juliet Moses issued a statement, saying, “We are deeply disappointed that Lorde has succumbed to a small but loud group of extremist bullies. Boycotts of Israel will not lead to peace. Those who advocate them are not interested in negotiations between the two sides to this conflict or a two-state solution.”

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.”

The BDS movement promotes financial, academic, and cultural boycotts of Israel, against the so-called “Israeli occupation.” Critics say its activities are a modern form of anti-Semitism and that its true objective is to destroy the State of Israel.