Israeli DJ Dekel Kehoski Canceled From New Zealand Festival Over Gaza War Stance
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
New Zealand's Twisted Frequency festival canceled Israeli DJ Dekel Kehoski's performance for not condemning the Gaza war and continuing to perform in Israel. Organizers cited his past IDF service and lack of public statement against the conflict. The festival, which supports Palestinian causes, apologized for the initial invitation and vowed stricter vetting. This mirrors the earlier cancellation of DJ Skazi from Tomorrowland.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- New Zealand's Twisted Frequency festival canceled Israeli DJ Dekel Kehoski's performance.
- The cancellation was due to his refusal to condemn the Gaza war and continued performances in Israel.
- Organizers cited his IDF service and lack of public statement against the conflict.
- The festival plans to fly Palestinian flags and hold workshops on the Gaza war.
- This follows a similar cancellation of Israeli DJ Skazi from the Tomorrowland festival.
Organizers of the Twisted Frequency music festival in New Zealand announced the cancellation of Israeli DJ Dekel Kehoski's performance, citing his refusal to publicly condemn Israel's war in Gaza and his continued performances in Israel. The festival stated that Kehoski had been targeted for boycott due to concerns within the community about his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They also noted they learned he had served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and contacted his representatives to clarify his political positions.
Despite not finding definitive evidence of Kehoski's personal beliefs, the festival proceeded with the cancellation. "We were unable to find anything verified and significant regarding his personal beliefs, but the fact that he has not spoken out against the genocide in Palestine and continues to perform in Israel is all we needed to make the decision with confidence," the organizers said in a statement on Facebook. They emphasized that his Israeli citizenship and military service were not the sole reasons for the cancellation, but rather the absence of a public statement against the "ongoing occupation and genocide."
The Twisted Frequency festival has adopted a distinct political stance in recent years, with plans to fly Palestinian flags and hold political workshops on the Gaza war at the upcoming event. The organizers apologized to festival-goers for initially inviting Kehoski, calling it a mistake due to a personal recommendation without sufficient background checks, and pledged to tighten screening procedures in the future. "There are music events where they think these spaces should not be politicized, our festival is not among those events," they stated, concluding, "The actions of the Israeli government must be unequivocally condemned, free Palestine!"
This incident follows a similar cancellation of Israeli DJ Skazi's performance at the Tomorrowland festival last year, which was attributed to security concerns but was widely perceived as antisemitism.