Spanish Ska Band Accused of Antisemitism Issues Defiant Response Ahead of Germany Gig

The row over the forthcoming appearance by Spanish ska band Ska-P at a music festival in Germany intensified on Wednesday, as members of the group angrily denied the accusation of antisemitism and a leading pro-Israel advocate filed a criminal complaint to stop their performance.

The Madrid-based group, who perform ska and punk-influenced songs with a left-wing orientation, is scheduled to play at Munich’s Tollwood Festival on Friday. Earlier this week, a coalition comprised of the Left Alliance against Antisemitism Munich (LBGA), the Association of Jewish Students in Bavaria (VJSB), the Association of German Sinti and Roma in Bavaria and the Youth Forum of the German-Israeli Society — Munich called for the cancellation of Ska-P’s concert, pointing to one of the band’s songs as well as its stage act as problematic.

Ska-P’s track “Intifada” — a tribute to the Palestinian struggle against Israel — was cited as unacceptable because of its comparison of Israeli behavior with that of the Nazis. The songs lyrics include the lines: “Six million Jews who were exterminated in the most horrific way/An imperialist genocide by fascist armies, we must learn from history/The victims have become executioners, everything has gone wrong.”

Roma groups have meanwhile objected to the group’s alleged appropriation of gypsy traditions, as one band member appears on stage wearing a gypsy costume and holding a crystal ball.

In a statement released via their Instagram account on Tuesday, Ska-P expressed incredulity at the accusation of antisemitism, insisting that they are “anti-Zionists” and that the two should not be conflated.

“Wow, at this point we are being labeled as antisemitic by some evil tongues in Germany,” the group stated.

“No, WE ARE NOT ANTISEMITES, from our atheism we respect all religious people whatever their religion is, not the religions themselves, since we believe that you can never think freely if you grow up among dogmas and indoctrinations,” they continued.
“Our song ‘Intifada’ is a denunciation of the occupation by the State of Israel of the people of Palestine, the settlements and land theft, the brutal segregation and the refusal by the State of Israel and its partners of the creation of a Palestinian State. To be ANTI-ZIONIST is not to be ANTISEMITIC.”

Acknowledging the “persecution to which the Jewish community has been subjected throughout the ages, especially in the Second World War,” the group claimed that “we have always declared ourselves anti-fascists and we have songs that reflect it, that is why we will never accept Zionism.”

The organizers of the Tollwood Festival have refused to cancel Ska-P’s performance, emphasizing that “Intifada” is not included in the band’s setlist. On Wednesday, Ludwig Spaenle, the antisemitism commissioner for the State of Bavaria, called on the group to refrain from playing the song, which was written more than 20 years ago. “This song is an expression of Israel-related antisemitism and is therefore non-negotiable for me,” he said. “Despite the right to criticize state actions, the actions of the State of Israel cannot be compared with the unjust totalitarian regime of the Nazis.”

Volker Beck — president of the German-Israeli Friendship Society — accused the group of “hate speech,” specifically citing the line in “Intifada” about the Jewish victims of the Holocaust turning into “executioners.”

“Incitement to hatred is not freedom of art. Something like that shouldn’t have a stage in Munich,” Beck told the Judische Allgemeine news outlet. He said that he would file a criminal complaint in a bid to have Ska-P’s concert canceled.

The arts and music scenes in Germany have been plagued by accusations of antisemitism over the last year. Among the prominent cases was the 2022 Documenta festival of contemporary art, which featured a number of exhibits with crudely antisemitic tropes, and the recent concert tour by former Pink Floyd vocalist Roger Waters, a prominent supporter of the campaign to boycott Israel who has frequently been accused of stoking antisemitism.

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