The video above and the message below are from Independent Jewish Voices. The video of Young’s anthem against state violence, “Ohio,” uses extremely graphic photos of children killed and maimed in Vietnam and Palestine.
The letter in the appeal below is by IJV activist Miriam Meir.
4 dead in Ohio, 1400 dead in Gaza: will Neil Young listen?
Neil Young Honor the TreatiesNeil Young’s been fighting for what’s right his whole life. Tell him to heed the Palestinians’ call for freedom!
Dear Friend,
Being a Neil Young junkie, his recent announcement that he plans to perform in Israel has left me saddened and confused. After his recent tour in support of Indigenous rights in Canada, it doesn’t make sense to me that he’ll be turning his back on the rising tide of international support for Palestinian civil society, which has put out a call for a cultural boycott of Israel until Israel abides by international law and respects Palestinians’ human rights. Tell Neil Young NOW that you think he should reconsider and stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their non-violent struggle for freedom.
Young’s been a passionate defender of freedom throughout his career, writing songs like ‘Ohio’, protesting state violence against innocent civilians. While 4 Americans were shot dead at Kent State for protesting American war crimes in Southeast Asia, Israel shot dead 13 unarmed Palestinians (12 of whom were Israeli citizens) in 2001 during protests against Israel’s violent campaign in the West Bank. To this day, no Israeli has been held accountable. Will Neil Young stay silent?
Israel used white phosphorous–a highly incendiary chemical weapon–on the civilians of Gaza.
With 4 dead in Ohio, there were 1400 Palestinians murdered in Gaza, including roughly 400 children. The massacre took place during Israel’s horrific assault on the besieged territory during ‘Operation Cast Lead’. Will Neil Young listen to the Palestinians, or will he play to the tune of Israel’s Apache helicopters and Hellfire missiles? Tell Neil Young to do what’s right–stand up for human rights and social justice by refusing to play Israel…
In addition to signing IJV’s e-mail petition to Neil Young, sign this petition made by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME).
If you have twitter, tweet Neil Young and include these popular hashtags: #palestine, #BDS, #cdnpoli. You can also use our hashtag #DontPlayIsrael.
If you have Facebook, post on his fan page, and share this message: http://mad.ly/25f874 on your social media.
Let’s hope that Neil Young will play in the region when The Wall finally comes down, singing his song ‘Keep on Rocking in the Free World’ with real meaning.
Movements and campaigns for the rights of Indigenous peoples like Honour the Treaties and Idle No More mirror the struggle for human rights by the Indigenous Palestinians. Neil Young should be commended for taking part in the Honour the Treaties tour in support of Indigenous rights on Turtle Island (North America). We should urge him to live up to this high moral standard by cancelling his concert in Israel.
Thank you IJV! This video should go viral and be seen by every single Canadian, American, etc., regardless of their ethnicity, religion or political affiliation.
It’s simply stunning. And, Neil Young, please don’t play Israel! They’ve been “playing” the Free World for too long– keeping the indigenous Palestinians under a brutal Occupation with terrorism and cruelty– stealing resources and more.
Neil, I think that you are a better man than this. Why ruin your reputation now and for this?
“Why ruin your reputation now and for this?”
Playing in Israel is not going to ruin his reputation. Signing on to an anti-Jewish boycott will.
There is a facebook page dedicated to it too: https://www.facebook.com/Neil.Young.WhyPlay.Apartheid.Israel
I think Mr. Young’s consciousness was formed during the time when support for Zionism seemed to go with anti-racism like a horse with a carriage. This was a stream of consciousness to which Martin Luther King and even Nelson Mandela (through his links with the SACP, which was, like communist parties everywhere, mindful of Zionism’s Marxist credentials) contributed, for different reasons and in different ways, perhaps rather uneasily. I think it was particularly strong at the celebrity level in the world of music and film. So I don’t think Young will change. I think he will think that all these Canadian voices are outlandish. These things are a useful reminder to the likes of us that we’re not really near the mainstream as yet.
F*ck Neil Young!
Roger Waters wrote him a letter about it and he didn’t even bother to respond to it so WTF?! I bet my farm Neil already knows what’s going on in Palestine and just simply doesn’t give a fig – him and Bob Dylan, known for being giant civil rights supporters, clearly don’t give a sh*t about racism, inequality, Apartheid or ethnic cleansing anymore. They just want the Benjamins, man. They’re old and worried about the price of their burial plots and they just want the Benjeez now.
I’m really against bending-over-backwards to stars booked to play in Apartheid israel. Ask them nicely not to do it and if they blank the polite request, then boycott the eff out of them. Really that simple. Eff ’em – the hypocrites!