In 2019, Iceland’s Hatari (meaning “hater” in the native tongue) qualified for the Eurovision music contest, which was created in 1956 in the aftermath of WWII. Tel Aviv, Israel, hosted the event that year, a year that also included the non-violent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to support Palestinians trapped in the Israeli apartheid state. Hatari supported BDS. Eurovision threatened to disallow Hatari’s participation, but eventually allowed the band to compete (Hatari finished 10th). You can find more info here: https://eurovision.tv/participant/hatari (Scroll down the right side to see the video of their qualifying song.)
Hatari is a political (anti-capitalist) cloaked in BDSM imagery that aims to take the lid off the relentless, unfolding scam that is everyday life, says Eurovision. The band explains,“We cannot change things, but we can unveil the anomie of neoliberal society, the pointlessness of every minute spent in the futile race, and the low price for which man now sells himself ever more blatantly. We can scream at our own impotence, scream at our collective sleepwalk through routine, and implore our audience to unite, shoulder to shoulder, and dance.“
Have you ever heard of Hatari? No. Have you heard of Roger Waters? Yes. The Pink Floyd mate, born and raised Quaker, which is one of the historic peace churches along with the Plymouth Brethren and Mennonites, has been a leader denouncing the Israeli apartheid state and supporting the BDS movement. He narrated the movie, “The Occupation of the American Mind” (occupationmovie.org). Since the film did not paint a pretty picture of the Israeli government, Mr. Waters, of course, got labeled an “Anti-Semite.”
Roger Waters did not wither. In 2019, he was a featured speaker at the University of Massachusetts’ Resistance Studies Initiative symposium called “Not Backing Down: Israel, Free Speech and the Battle for Palestinian Right” (notbackingdownumass.com). According to the UMass Fine Arts Center, “Waters, who himself has been repeatedly vilified as an “‘Anti-Semite'” for his criticisms of Israel’s human rights abuses, was joined on the panel by other activists and journalists who have come under fire and faced death threats for their outspoken criticisms of the occupation.”
Then, when Roger Waters’ North American tour included involvement with Major League Baseball, the Jewish advocacy organization, B’nai B’rith International, wrote to the MLB Commissioner that Mr. Waters has “exceeded the boundaries of civil discourse” and demanded MLB support be removed. MLB caved and stopped promoting Waters’ tour on their platforms, but the tour went forward.
Hatari and the legendary musician faced intimidation tactics, refused to be silenced, and continued speaking up for Palestinian human rights. Pure and simple: Criticizing Israel’s foreign policy does not make one an Anti-Semite! Who calls an American who questions the USA’s foreign policy an “Anti-American?” My EPB posts are littered with criticisms of America’s foreign policy, but I love my country, no one should ever consider me un-American, a traitor. I dissent on certain issues because I know we can do better.
“It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.”
– James Baldwin (1924-1987), American novelist, playwright, and activist
- Mark Erickson
