Full-Page Newspaper Ad Calls Singer Lorde a Bigot
The Dec. 31 edition of the Washington Post carried a full-page ad disparaging the singer Lorde, as well as her native country New Zealand, for allegedly taking part in "a global anti-semitic boycott of Israel."
The ad, which took up the entire fifth page of the newspaper's year-end edition, was taken out by "This World: The Values Network" and its outspoken rabbi head, Shmuley Boteach, according to Television New Zealand.
The headline of the ad reads "Lorde and New Zealand Ignore Syria to Attack Israel," and under it is a photo of the singer superimposed over a scene of men carrying children and infants while surrounded by ruined buildings.
The ad is seen as a response to Lorde's cancellation of a concert in Tel Aviv, originally scheduled for June 2018. Her concert was criticized by some fans, with two of them going as far as to write an open letter explaining that her concert could be seen as her show of support for Israel's perceived occupation of Palestine.
"I have had a lot of discussions with people holding many views, and I think the right decision at this time is to cancel the show," Lorde explained earlier, as quoted by the Guardian.
"While Lorde claims to be concerned with human rights, she hypocritically chose to proceed with her two concerts in Putin's Russia, despite his support for [Syrian president Bashar al-]Assad's genocidal regime," the ad claims, before drumming up support to " tell Lorde and her fellow bigots that Jew-hatred has no place in the twenty-first century."
The ad goes on to include New Zealand in its attack, calling out the country for allegedly supporting U.N. condemnations of Israel, according to the New York Post. The full page advert goes on to claim that prejudice against the Jewish State is "trickling down to its youth" in New Zealand.