When Beautiful Music Becomes a Mantra of Hate

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "When Beautiful Music Becomes a Mantra of Hate."

Music festivals and concerts, long celebrated for fostering unity, are increasingly being used to spread hate and divisive rhetoric. High-profile incidents—such as Bobby Vylan’s anti-Israel chants at Glastonbury, Roger Waters’s provocative performances, and inflammatory statements by artists like Kanye West and Imagine Dragons—illustrate how musicians, seeking to be seen as edgy or socially conscious, often promote distorted messages that can influence youth and normalize hate. The failure of media and institutions to intervene exacerbates these dangers, raising concerns about the responsibility to protect shared values of justice and respect. Ultimately, music must remain a force for peace and unity, not a vehicle for hatred or bigotry.

(AI generated image via Gemini)

When Beautiful Music Becomes a Mantra of Hate