Israeli DJs Canceled From Australian Festival Amid Threats, Arson

An electronic music festival in Australia, 'Frequency Forest,' was forced to cancel the participation of five Israeli DJs due to threats from anti-Israel activists. The organizers reportedly relocated event sites and faced weeks of intimidation targeting them and venue owners. The Israeli artists scheduled to perform were Astrix, Berg, Ghostrider, Ranji, and Ritmo.

Anonymous emails sent to organizers referred to the participants as "baby-killing IDF soldiers" and inquired about bringing "10-15 liters of gasoline" into the venue. In a related incident on August 16, two vehicles belonging to one of the festival's producers were completely destroyed in a fire in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern East. The vehicles were identified as a BMW X7 and a Mercedes AMG A45S. The producer has since hired security.

Police are investigating the arson. Ranji, one of the scheduled DJs, told Ynet that while he has received threats globally before, it was "sad that this abhorrent minority" could disrupt events in Australia. He stated the producer canceled their participation after "difficult wars" with these groups, citing risks to life. Ranji was scheduled to continue to Australia after a performance in Thailand.

Robert Gregory, president of the Jewish Association of Australia (AJA), called the events a "most disturbing intimidation campaign." He asserted that Jewish and Israeli artists should not be excluded from Australian cultural life through threats and violence. Gregory warned that such successes indicate a governmental failure to confront intimidation and extremism, drawing parallels to 1930s Germany. He noted a growing sense of isolation within the Australian Jewish community and urged the public to support their Jewish and Israeli friends, rejecting threats and violence as arbiters of who can perform in the country.