Cornell College cancels Kehlani live performance over singer’s pro-Palestine views

The singer – who has been a vocal supporter of Palestine all through the Gaza-Israel battle – was set to carry out on the Ivy League college on Could 7 as a part of its annual Slope Day celebrations. Nonetheless, the college’s President Michael I. Kotlikoff has rescinded her invite in an e mail to college students that was leaked on-line.

The complete letter was shared on X/Twitter by Day by day Wire journalist Kassy Akiva, who has labelled the singer as “anti-Israel” – you’ll be able to see the total letter right here.

In his e mail, the college’s president saying the reserving of the singer had “injected division and discord” at Cornell, resulting from her making what had been felt to be “antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments.”

In keeping with Kotlikoff, the rescinding of Kehlani’s invite to carry out comes after college students and members of “the group” voiced their anger and confusion “that Slope Day would characteristic a performer who has espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, movies, and on social media.” His determination to cancel her efficiency was made after spending “days speaking privately with many college students”.

Kotlikoff famous that “whereas any artist has the precise in our nation to precise hateful views,” her inclusion within the efficiency line-up “has compromised what is supposed to be an inclusive occasion”.

He went on to jot down: “I perceive that my determination might be celebrated by some and criticized by others. I consider it’s the proper factor to do and the choice I need to make to make sure group and security at this hight-profile occasion that reaches your complete campus.”

A substitute for Kehlani at Cornell’s Slope Day celebrations is predicted within the coming days. NME has reached out to Kehlani and Atlantic Information for remark.

Kehlani has lengthy been vocal and public about her help of Palestine over time. In 2024, she launched a music vide for ‘Subsequent 2 U’, during which she appeared in entrance of Palestinian flags and wore a go well with stitched with keffiyeh scarf supplies. The video additionally included the phrases “lengthy dwell the intifada”, which is usually chanted at protests over the Gaza-Israel struggle.

The video additionally features a hyperlink to an Al Jazeera article itemizing the names of 1000’s of kids that Israel has killed since October 2023. She shared that she had deliberate to incorporate a scroll of all of their names on the finish of the video, however needed to hyperlink out to it as a substitute as even at full velocity, it ran for over three minutes and was illegible.

In different associated information, Irish rap trio Kneecap made headlines final weekend after their two units on the pageant reportedly left organisers “blindsided” resulting from their overtly political nature, together with exhibiting pro-Palestine projections on the display screen behind them and inspiring the viewers to speak “Free, Free Palestine”.

At their present on the first weekend of Coachella, the livestream of their set was lower after they voiced their political stance and led a provocative anti-Margaret Thatcher chant. The restrictions from weekend one led to the band offering their very own livestream at weekend two – with political commentator Hasan Piker broadcasting their set dwell on Twitch. Slogans together with “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine”, “Israel is committing genocide in opposition to the Palestinian folks” and “it’s being enabled by the US authorities who arm and fund Israel regardless of their struggle crimes” had been projected on the display screen behind them as they performed.

The group’s Mo Chara additionally used the time on stage to say: “The Palestinians have nowhere to go, it’s their fucking house they usually’re bombing them from the skies… When you’re not calling it a genocide what the fuck are you calling it?”

Certainly one of essentially the most vocal opponents for Kneecap’s appearances at Coachella was Sharon Osbourne. Taking to X, Osbourne – who has Ashkenazi Jewish heritage – wrote a prolonged put up claiming that the units “compromised” the pageant’s “ethical and religious integrity”. She additionally urged for the trio to have their working visas revoked as a result of performances.

“Her rant has so many holes in it that it hardly warrants a reply, however she ought to take heed to ‘Battle Pigs’ that was written by Black Sabbath,” Kneecap’s Mo Chara mentioned in response. The nod to Black Sabbath comes as her husband Ozzy Osbourne, is the band’s frontman.

The band then shared one other assertion with BBC Information Northern Eire about Osbourne’s feedback including: “Statements aren’t aggressive, murdering 20,000 kids is although.”