British singer Morrissey slams BDS movement as 'absurd'

“It is narrow-minded. Being politically correct is incorrect. It means forbidding the freedom of speech. This is how the BDS movement sounds to me.”

By LAUREN S. MARCUS
Updated: NOVEMBER 21, 2017 21:13
British singer-songwriter Morrissey performs during the International Song Festival in Vina del Mar, Chile. (photo credit: REUTERS)
British singer-songwriter Morrissey performs during the International Song Festival in Vina del Mar, Chile.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The BDS movement is "absurd," said British singer Morrissey, 58, in an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel, translated by the Jewish Chronicle.
The outspoken former frontman for The Smiths has performed in Israel several times, most recently last year at the Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv. He continued to rail against BDS, stating: “It is narrow-minded. Being politically correct is incorrect. It means forbidding the freedom of speech. This is how the BDS movement sounds to me.”
His newest album, Low in High School, features two tracks which directly reference Israel: "The Girl from Tel Aviv Who Wouldn't Kneel," a song about Holocaust victim Etty Hillesum, and "Israel," which includes the lyrics “In other climes they bitch and whine/Just because you are not like them — Israel, Israel.”
"I love this city [Tel Aviv]," the singer said. "The rest of the world does not like Israel well. But the people there are very generous and friendly. You should never judge a people by their government. It is very rare for the government to reflect the wishes of the people.'"
Morrissey is hardly the only British singer with an affinity for the Jewish state--Boy George recently performed in Tel Aviv, clad in a Star of David emblazoned suit. Fellow Brit Nick Cave played two sold out shows in the Holy Land this week, explaining that he performed despite intense BDS pressure to cancel, because: "I love Israel and I love Israeli people...and I wanted to make a principled stand against anyone who tries to censor and silence musicians. So, really, you could say in a way that BDS made me play Israel."