People are standing in solidarity with the ouspoken British-Iraqi rapper, and Palestine solidarity campaigner Lowkey whose real name is Kareem Dennis. after he became
the latest target for a British pro-Israeli group We Believe in Israel. that is trying to get the performer banned from Spotify.
It's been reported that the group "Will
be campaigning for Spotify to remove 'dozens of instances of problematic
material,' including Lowkey's [2010 track] Long Live Palestine - Part
2."which they consider most problematic.
But it isn’t going well for the pro-Zionist group, because people are
showing they will not be silenced in their support for Lowkey and the
Palestinian struggle. I believe that Israel's call to ban Lowkey's music from the
streaming giant spotify is the latest salvo in an escalating war by the Israel
lobby against the rapper - seemingly in revenge for his political
stances in support of Palestinian liberation.
Lowkey is a passionate and eloquent defender of Palestinian rights, and
is well versed in the history of the region. This video shows him
speaking at the Oxford Union in 2019:
Cambridge Palestine Society was forced to postpone a talk by Lowkey after a smear campaign by the Israel lobby on campus.
The talk went ahead a week later. But the lobby wasn't done.
Recently an event by Lowkey planned for the National Union of
Students conference was canceled altogether, after another smear
campaign by the Union of Jewish Students - an anti-Palestinian group which has been directly funded by the Israeli embassy.
Lowkey's three "Long Live Palestine" tracks have become anthems for the
Palestine solidarity movement in the UK. The video for part three alone
has had more than 1.1 million views on YouTube since it was released in
2019:
Lowkey has worked with some of the biggest names in the British music industry and is widely respected in the UK rap scene.
His music has featured other artists such as Wretch 32, Akala, the Arctic Monkeys, Reverand and the Makers and Babyshambles.
Spoken word artist Potent Whisper released a video about what’s happening with Lowkey. He sums up the situation:
This group of people are British based lobbyists. They use their
influence to support Israel. Lowkey is a rapper who talks about the
wrongs they do. He isn’t scared to speak about the things they won’t put
on the news. Now they want to get revenge because he gets a lot of
views. They want to lobby Spotify to try and get his songs removed.
He continues:
Israel drops bombs on streets but wants to call his songs extreme. I
mean, I guess in a way you can kind of see why. Like if you were them,
you’d be extremely worried. The people were exposing your killing of
civilians – that’s why you spend so much on the MPs you lobby, so you
can try legitimising killing Palestinians.
And as he asserts:
But ultimately what it comes down to is this: if they’re alleging
that his music is violent, that defending Palestine is hateful
incitement, they should have to prove it facts before they can remove
his tracks. If they can’t, then it proves they just want him silenced.
Responding to threats to ban his music, Lowkey stated:
This coordinated campaign is an extension of the brutalisation of the
Palestinians. Palestinians are routinely arrested by Israel for posts
on social media, even children. Dareen Tatour spent almost a year in
occupation jail for posting a poem to her Facebook.
He continued:
Artists and musicians should never have to fear threats to their
livelihood or person for the music they make. We will not be silenced on
Palestine, not now, not ever.
The response on social media has shown that Lowkey is right.with musicians and celebrities coming out in support of the rapper, and numerous artists putting their names to an open letter defending him.
The letter, has been signed by
rappers Wretch 32 and Ghetts, model Anwar Hadid, actor Michael Malarkey,
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters and hip-hop DJ Charlie Sloth.
The signatories are calling “on Spotify and all other platforms not
to buckle to pressure groups who would rather see his music removed than
grapple with the issues he highlights.”
The letter describes Lowkey as “the target of a coordinated smear campaign to demonize, defame and deplatform him.”
“Lowkey’s music has inspired and energized millions around the world
and ignited an interest in many about the issues he raises in his work,”
the signatories explained. “As a relentless advocate for Palestinian human rights, he is a target for many who would rather his message not be heard."
The others signatories on the letter are:
Award-winning filmmaker Farah Nabulsi, comedian and actor Guz Khan,
boxer Billy Dib, award winning musicians Ana Tijoux and FredWreck,
artist and music producer Bu Kolthoum, singer Maverick Sabre, rappers
Avelino, K Koke and Styles P, musicians Narcy, Mr Hudson, Khxled Siddiq
and Blay Vision, record producer Dexplicit, directors Charlie Sarsfield
and Chirolles Khalil, actor Aymen Hamdouchi, broadcaster and actor Mim
Shaikh and creative directors and photographers Zekaria al-Bostani and
Elliot Hensford.
Since news broke last week
of the latest Israel lobby campaign against Lowkey, there has been an
outpouring of support for the rapper and campaigner on social media.
"The apartheid regime’s counter-measures are increasingly desperate. They know the game is up. Long live @Lowkey0nline," tweeted Matt Kennard, investigator at Declassified UK.
"@Lowkey0nline is one of the very few who
exposes their colonial settler project in occupied #Palestine. His work
is essential & invaluable," campaigner Abier Khatib tweeted.
"British Israel lobby is pressuring Spotify to remove the music of rapper @Lowkey0nline, because
they don't like the lyrics of 'Long Live Palestine'. There's no limit
to Zionist zeal to bully, punish and censor," tweeted journalist Ali Abunimah.
"Solidarity with @Lowkey0nline
- an immensely gifted lyricist who uses his art and profile to
highlight and fight injustice - it’s because he makes a difference that
they want to silence him," UK-based academic Paul O'Connell tweeted.
Previous campaigns by the pro-Israel lobby
groups have called on Go Fund Me to remove Palestine Action from their
fundraising page, and condemned Human Rights Watch and Amnesty
International for using the term "Israeli apartheid".
The furor around Lowkey underscores the fact that this has very
little to do with antisemitism and far more to do with his steadfast
support for Palestinian liberation. He is a patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and brings its people’s struggles to a global audience of millions through his music.
The power of music to reach and radicalize a new generation is well understood by pro-Israel groups. In 2011, The Jewish Chronicledescribed
Lowkey’s increasing influence and recognition as one of the most gifted
lyricists in hip hop as a “potential nightmare” for their side. Hence
the desire to demonize, defame and deplatform him from Spotify.
Nevertheless, despite the best efforts of pro-Israel groups, public
sympathy for Palestine and identification with its cause is on the rise
at universities and among the public more generally. A February poll
conducted by YouGov showed that more than two-and-a-half times as many
Britons (27%) now sympathize with Palestine more than with Israel (11%) –
a figure that continues to rise.
The tireless work of activists exposing its crimes has led to
organizations as diverse as the United Nations, Human Rights Watch,
Amnesty International, and Harvard Law School identifying Israel as an
Apartheid regime.
The attempt to de-platform Lowkey is part of a growing phenomenon which
social commentators refer to as cancel culture. With its threat to free
speech, the UK Tory government is seeking to introduce new legislation
to combat its rise.
However despite their best efforts Lowkey's music is now reaching even more people. Their plan has perfectly backfired.We will
not be silenced. We will continue speaking out against the apartheid
Israeli state. And we will unapologetically continue to defend the lives
of Palestinian people. Attacking freedom of speech and expression has
been a tool used by the Israeli Occupation to control the narrative and
silence the oppressed. Much respect too to all those that are showing Lowkey and the Palestinians their support and solidarity. I stand with Lowkey too and the Palestinian people against Israel apartheid, as Lowkey said " Long live Palestine, Long live Gaza,"
