Klanie’s Removal From Cornell Concert
Klanie addressed her removal from the upcoming concert at Cornell University regarding her views that were perceived as missing.
Last week (April 25), it was reported that the singer’s invitation to speak at the Cornell concert on the “Day of the Slope,” scheduled for May 7, was canceled after students and the community voiced concerns about her support for Palestine amidst the conflict in Gaza against Israel.
Social Media Response
Klanie seemed to comment on her removal from the concert during a social media appearance over the weekend to tackle the issue. In a video originally shared on TikTok, the singer clarified her stance on the conflict, accompanied by her Jewish Palestinian and Jewish engineer friends.
She stated: “They ask me and call me to clarify and make a statement again, the same time when I am not anti-Semitic and not vain.”
Furthermore, Klanie mentioned that one of her first public statements regarding her views on the issue occurred at the beginning of the conflict while collaborating with a global Jewish organization, once again affirming that she was not being vain but simply could not condone the murder of innocent people.
She wrote in her message: “More than a year has passed. From the first day, it was clear. I know you saw how Cornell University canceled my show, and now there are attempts to further limit my opportunities in addition to the cancellations I’ve already faced last year.”
“If you want to cancel me from opportunities, acknowledge that it is due to your Zionism. Don’t frame it as vain. This is the game being played. All of this is because we want people to stop dying.”
Her statement comes after University President Michael I. Kotlikoff and his students leaked an email to the media. In his email, Kotlikoff mentioned that the singer’s performance at Cornell had “introduced division and discord” as it created what was perceived as “anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli sentiments.”
According to Kotlikoff, the reviews regarding Klanie’s invitation arose during a time when students and members of the “Community” voiced their anger and confusion over the fact that the “Day of the Slope” would involve support for anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli sentiments in speeches, videos, and social media. His decision to cancel her performance was made after he spent “days talking privately with many students.”
Kotlikoff noted that, “although any artist has the right to express hated views in our country,” her inclusion in the performance “put in jeopardy what should be an inclusive event.”
Klanie has consistently voiced her support for Palestine over the years. In 2024, she released a music video for “Next 2 U,” which featured Palestinian flags and her wearing a suit adorned with KEFFIYEH materials. The video also prominently displayed the words “live intifada,” often seen at protests related to the conflict in Gaza.
In similar instances, the Irish rap group Kneecap faced calls from individuals like Sharon Osbourne to withdraw their work visas in the U.S. following their recent performances at Coachella. Their two sets at the festival reportedly left organizers “blinded” due to their overt political messages, including a demonstration of missing forecasts on a screen behind them and urging the audience to chant “free, free Palestine.”
Since that time, Kneecap referred to the backlash as a “coordinated smear” against their efforts to “highlight the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.”
“For more than a year, we have used our shows to provoke the complicity of the British and Irish governments in war crimes. Recent attacks on us, largely stemming from the United States, are based on deliberate distortions and lies,” they stated, adding that “they are taking measures against some of these malicious efforts.”
“The reason Kneecap is targeted is simple – we are telling the truth, and our audience is growing,” the statement expressed. “Those who attack us aim to silence the criticism of mass slaughter. They resort to false accusations of anti-Semitism to distract, confuse, and ensure cover for the genocide, raising the voices of “a significant number of Jewish people” who are “outraged by this genocide, just like us.”
“We care that the governments of the countries where we perform allow some of the most heinous crimes of our lifetime – and we will not be silent. No media will change this,” they asserted. “Our only concern is the Palestinian people – 20,000 children killed and counting.”
Currently, this group is in the process of securing a new sponsor for updated American visas for their October tour after their previous sponsor and booking agent for the independent artists’ group (IAG) terminated their contract earlier this week. Their upcoming U.S. tour is scheduled to continue as of this writing.
https://www.nme.com/news/music/kehlani-addresses-being-kicked-off-cornell-university-concert-i-am-not-antisemitic-nor-anti-jew-i-am-anti-genocide-3858710?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kehlani-addresses-being-kicked-off-cornell-university-concert-i-am-not-antisemitic-nor-anti-jew-i-am-anti-genocide
