“If you want to cancel me from opportunity, stand on it being because of your zionism. don’t make it anti-jew,” singer writes
Kehlani responded to Cornell University’s decision to cancel her planned concert at the college over the singer’s stance on the situation in Gaza.
Earlier this week, Cornell president Michael I. Kotlikoff nixed Kehlani’s May 7 concert during the university’s annual Slope Day celebration, citing Kehlani’s “espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media.”
“The selection of Kehlani as this year’s headliner has injected division and discord into Slope Day,” Kotlikoff wrote to students. “For that reason, I am rescinding Kehlani’s invitation.”
On Saturday — amid “attempts at other cancellations on top of the cancellations i’ve already experienced over the past year” — Kehlani responded to the Cornell situation and the allegations of antisemitic in a video posted on Instagram, “I am not antisemitic nor am I anti-Jew.”
“I am anti-genocide, I am anti the actions of the Israeli government, I am anti an extermination of an entire people, I’m anti the bombing of innocent children, men women… that’s what I’m anti.”
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Kehlani noted that she was “asked and called to clarify” the antisemitism allegations — which stem from the use of the phrase “Long Live the Intifada” in the music video for “Next 2 U” — and thus posted the video statement, which — as Kehlani noted — was made while “in the presence of my Jewish and Palestinian best friend and my Jewish engineer.”
The singer added in the caption of the Instagram post, “If you want to cancel me from opportunity, stand on it being because of your zionism. don’t make it anti-jew. this a played out game. all this because we want people to stop dying.”
