Update, September 6th, 2022. Justin Bieber has canceled his remaining tour dates including Tel Aviv. He has indicated that the cancellation is in regard to health concerns. We wish him the best with his recovery, and ask him to NEVER REBOOK concerts Israel.
August 31, 2022
Dozens of artists and organizations from around the world say #BiebsStay4Justice
Fellow artists and civil society organizations ask Justin Bieber to say NO to Apartheid
Justice Bieber is scheduled to play in Tel Aviv on October 13, 2022 as part of his “The Justice World Tour”
Since February 2022, close to 100 artists, and dozens of civil society organizations as well as about 1500 individuals have been telling the Bieb to not play apartheid
Other artists are invited to join the statement HERE.
Organizations are invited to sign the statement HERE
Individuals are invited to sign HERE
This is his third time performing in apartheid Israel. In 2011, fellow-Canadians called on Stratford Ontario born Bieber to honour the Palestine civil society boycott call. Check out the parody (used with permission by John Greyson) created at the time. Bieber went on to again perform in the zionist state in 2017, even as Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill and U2 were cancelling their gigs!
Let’s see if “The Biebs” can get with the anti-apartheid program on his third try! Roger Waters, Brian Eno, Reem Kelani, and many other join to send this message, along with organizations from Palestine to Europe, and from Australia to Africa to the Americas.
All those who wish to sign the petition can do so HERE.
Message to Justin Bieber from dozens of Artists about his Justice World Tour 2022.
It is admirable you are focusing on “Justice”. However, there is a country on the tour whose actions undermine the values we as fellow artists espouse very deeply. We are dismayed that you have chosen to schedule performances in Israel, a state that practices apartheid.
We write to ask you to cancel your October 2022 concert performance in Israel.
In 2018, Israel proclaimed the Nation State Law to officially enshrine ethnic/racial discrimination in Israel’s Basic Law — the state’s constitutional equivalent. The legislation stipulates that “Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people, and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it.” It also establishes Hebrew as Israel’s official language, and downgrades Arabic — a language widely spoken by Arab Israelis — to a “special status.” It also enshrines “Jewish settlement as a national value” and mandates that the state “will labor to encourage and promote its establishment and development.” In addition, there are over 65 additional laws that discriminate directly or indirectly against Palestinian citizens in Israel and/or Palestinian residents of the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) on the basis of their national belonging.
In January 2021, the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem cited the bill as one of the many reasons for their conclusion that Israel is an apartheid state that “promotes and perpetuates Jewish supremacy between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.”
On October 23, 2019, Michael Lynk, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the OPT told the United Nations General Assembly that decisive international action was needed, and the “international community has a responsibility and legal obligation to compel Israel to end its 52 year-long “occu-annexation” of Palestinian territory and to remove barriers preventing Palestinian self-determination.” We call on you to join fellow Canadian, Michael Lynk, in leading the way by showing this decisive international leadership against Israeli settler-colonialism and war crimes.
When international artists perform in Israel, they help to create the false impression that Israel is a “normal” country like any other. This is the call from Palestinian writers, artists and cultural centers. There is a growing number of anti-colonial Israelis and people worldwide who support the Palestinian civil society BDS call including the cultural boycott of Israel. We are glad to be part of this support and urge you to join by canceling your concerts in Israel.
Don’t be used by Israel to “artist-wash” its brutality and crimes against entire populations.
Join with those who stand with “justice” and “stay” away from apartheid and war crimes.
Sincerely,
Abu Parker, Musician Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Adam Williams, Potter, Toronto
Alan Collins, filmmaker
Alisa Gayle-Deutsch, pianist
Andrew Glencross, musician
Anne Henderson, documentary filmmaker
Barbara Collier, classical singer
Bill Hutchinson, filmmaker.
Bob Farrow, flaming-eck.com
Bonnie Black, actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, director
Brian Eno, musician
Cameron R. Blair, poet/musician/songwriter.
Carmen Aguirre, theatre artist/author
Cathy Gulkin, film maker
Charles Hilton – Sculptor
Checkpoint 303 Sound Art Collective – Beats for justice and human rights, Canada/Tunisia/Palestine
Chris Hannah, musician: Propagandhi
David Peters, musician
Deborah Jackman Multidisciplinary Visual Artist and Writer
Dorothy Field, visual artist and poet
Dr. George Sawa, musician and music historian, Toronto
Eman Husseini, visual artist
Ernest Tollar, musician/composer
Eva Manly, retired documentary maker
Faith Nolan, singer/ songwriter, Turtle Island
Freda Guttman, visual artist and a long time activist,
Guy Elhanan, theatre director, Haifa Palestine
Huda Salha, visual artist/ PhD student
Illinois Cook, musician
Jack Silberman, Filmmaker, Canada
Jamelie Hassan Visual Artist
Janet Hudgins, writer, researcher
Jessica Ball, professor and author
Jill Glessing, visual artist, writer
John Greyson, Director, videomaker, curator, writer, performance artist, teacher, activist.
John King, composer/musician
Jord Samolesky, drummer – Propagandhi
Kate St-Aubin, graphic artist
Kathy Wazana, filmmaker
Kaushalya Bannerji, visual artist, poet
Larry B Harder, professor of landscape architecture (retired)
Leon Rosselson, singer/songwriter/children’s author
Lia Tarachansky, Israeli-Canadian filmmaker
Lucy Janjigian, painter, Los Altos, California USA Born in Jerusalem Palestine 1932
Marlena Santoyo, social justice artist
Maryem Tollar, musician
Matthew Webster, musician, Victoria, British Columbia
Michal Sapir, musician and writer, Tel Aviv
Mike Hoolboom, filmmaker
Mizuko Yakuwa, visual artist, Tokyo, Japan
Mohammad Ali: Progressive Hip Hop Artist
Nathania Rodman, art therapist
Nirit Sommerfeld, actress, singer, author, Germany
Nora Lester Murad, writer, USA
Paul Rowan, Blues Musician.
Paul Salvatori, journalist, musician, activist
Philippe Ducros, playwright, director, Québec
Prof. Haim Bresheeth-Zabner, filmmaker, photographer, author
Querido Galdo, multimedia + design
Rabia Usman Rizvi, artist/ educator
Rahma Shere, Writer, arts organizer
Raymond Deane, composer
Reem Kelani, singer/musician/broadcaster
Rehab Nazzal, visual artist, photographer
Richard Fung, artist
Roger Waters, musician
S.L. Bondarchuk, artist and community organizer
Salome Waters, writer, painter and singer
Sameena Amien, Undiscovered Country South Africa
Sara avMaat, visual artist
Sarah Abu-Sharar, storyteller
Sarama, film maker/sculptor, photographer
Shameema Soni, singer/musician
Sharon Burns, artist
Stephen Aberle, actor/singer.
Taqi Spateen, artist, working include George Floyd mural on the Separation Wall
Thurston Moore, musician
Timna Rose, Israeli artist, Neve Ilan
Tom Ballard, Comedian, Melbourne Australia
Violet Rosengarten, painter and art educator
Waleed Abdulhamid, multi-instrumentalist, composer, vocalist, music and film producer,
Wally Brooker, musician, journalist (retired)
Zaina Arekat, musician, Bahrain
Other artists are invited to join the statement HERE.
Dozens of Civil Organizations from across Canada and around the world join to say #BiebsStay4Justice
We write to ask you to cancel your October 2022 concert performance in Israel.
In 2018, Israel proclaimed the Nation State Law to officially enshrine ethnic/racial discrimination in Israel’s Basic Law — the state’s constitutional equivalent. The legislation stipulates that “Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people, and they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it.” It also establishes Hebrew as Israel’s official language, and downgrades Arabic — a language widely spoken by Arab Israelis — to a “special status.” It also enshrines “Jewish settlement as a national value” and mandates that the state “will labor to encourage and promote its establishment and development.” In addition, there are over 65 additional laws that discriminate directly or indirectly against Palestinian citizens in Israel and/or Palestinian residents of the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) on the basis of their national belonging.
In January 2021, the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem cited the bill as one of the many reasons for their conclusion that Israel is an apartheid state that “promotes and perpetuates Jewish supremacy between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.”
On October 23, 2019, Michael Lynk, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the OPT told the United Nations General Assembly that decisive international action was needed, and the “international community has a responsibility and legal obligation to compel Israel to end its 52 year-long “occu-annexation” of Palestinian territory and to remove barriers preventing Palestinian self-determination.” We call on you to join fellow Canadian, Michael Lynk, in leading the way by showing this decisive international leadership against Israeli settler-colonialism and war crimes.
When international artists perform in Israel, they help to create the false impression that Israel is a “normal” country like any other. This is the call from Palestinian writers, artists and cultural centers. There is a growing number of anti-colonial Israelis and people worldwide who support the Palestinian civil society BDS call including the cultural boycott of Israel. We are glad to be part of this support and urge you to join by cancelling your concerts in Israel.
We ask you to not allow your tour to be used by Israel to “artist-wash” its brutality and crimes against entire populations.
Join with those who stand with “justice” and “stay” away from apartheid and war crimes.
Sincerely,
Canadian BDS Coalition
along with
AFPS, ACAT France, UJFP
Africa4Palestine
Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians
Australian Palestinian Professionals Association
Australians for Palestine
BACBI – Belgian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
Boycott from Within (Israeli citizens for BDS)
Canada Palestine Association
Canadian Foreign Policy Institute
CJPME Okanagan
Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid Victoria
Collectif Judéo Arabe et Citoyen pour la Palestine
CUPE 3903 Executive Committee
Daily tous les jours
Edmonton Small Press Association
Educators for Justice (Waterloo Catholic School Board)
Football Against Apartheid
Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
Global Peace Alliance Society
GT4BDS
Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War
HR4A Saskatchewan
Independent Jewish Voices – University of Toronto
Independent Jewish Voices – Winnipeg
International League of Peoples’ Struggle in Canada (ILPS-Canada)
Jews for Boycotting israeli Goods J-BIG
Just Peace Advocates
Just Peace Committee
Lambeth & Wandsworth Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Let Kashmir Decide
Mid-Islanders for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
Oakville Palestinian Rights Association (OPRA)
OPIRG Carleton
PAJU (Palestinian and Jewish Unity)
Palestine Network Shining Waters Region
Palestine Solidarity Network – Edmonton
Palestine Solidarity, St. John’s NL
Palestinian Youth Movement – Toronto
Regina Peace Council
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
Socialist Action
United Australian Palestinian Workers
US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
Women for Palestine
Organizations are invited to sign the statement HERE
Others:
Bruce R. Allen Paralegal
Ed Corrigan Law Office
El Hafi Holdings Inc.
Canada Helmet Initiative
Individuals are invited to sign HERE
