An electronic music festival has been marred by controversy with one act already pulling out after artists were asked to sign an ethics pledge written by a pro-Palestinian policy director.
The Earth Frequency Festival (EFF) put forward an ‘ethical artist policy’ which led to Israeli duo Infected Mushroom cancelling their planned October performance at the Sunshine Coast Hinterland event.
The group said it wouldn’t sign the ‘ethical artist policy’ because it was divisive.
EFF is a multi-day dance music event that attracts thousands of people each year but the ‘ethical artist policy’ has been controversial even though it says it rejects ‘racism, apartheid, or genocide’.
The controversy comes from the fact the policy was built in consultation with Palestinian communities, artists and organisers.
It was written by the head of the Northern Rivers Friends of Palestine Group Subhi Awad who took aim at Infected Mushroom and said they ‘deserve to be boycotted’.
His social media post showed the ‘ethical artist policy’ which said anyone supporting racism, war crimes or the ‘Israeli’s government’s genocide in Gaza’ would not be platformed.
‘Big respect to Earth Frequency for setting a new standard. Now it’s time for more festivals to do the same,’ Mr Awad wrote.
The Earth Frequency Festival has attracted controversy after asking artists to sign an ‘ethical artist policy’
Infected Mushroom pulled out of the Queensland festival, claiming its policy was ‘divisive’
Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani, of Infected Mushroom, released a statement saying they pulled out of the gig because EFF ‘chose to bring politic(s) into a dance festival environment influenced by political agenda and driven by social media vitriol, hate and racial division that ultimately has divided the community and some of our fans’.
Infected Mushroom have twice been ranked among the world’s ’10 Best DJ’s’ by readers of U.K.’s DJ Magazine.
Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg said ‘significant damage has been done’ and the Jewish community was concerned about the ‘falsehoods, lies, and the hijacking of a political agenda that now persist within the festival culture, making it unsafe for our community’.
Some Aussies online said they were worried about safety at the festival.
‘Reading some of the comments here, it genuinely doesn’t feel like the event will be a safe or inclusive space for people of Jewish and Israeli backgrounds and their families,’ one person wrote.
‘Anyone here able to condemn Hamas or other terrorist groups? Just checking to see how one-sided people are,’ another said.
EEF responded by saying: ‘All acts of violence and division are equally abhorrent. There is no taking sides when it comes to war. War sucks.’
Mr Awad told Daily Mail Australia that the festival had every right to get political.
‘People who say politics shouldn’t be in music don’t understand music. Politics has been in music since well before the Vietnam War,’ he said.
Infected Mushroom members Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani said EFF ‘chose to bring politic(s) into a dance festival environment which divided the community and some of their fans’
The Earth Frequency Festival will take place in October on the Sunshine Coast
‘I don’t see how standing up for humanitarian law is anti-Semitic.’
Festival organiser Paul Abad received a letter from the Israeli-Jewish community which said Israelis had been ‘unfairly singled out and made to feel unwelcome on the basis of their nationality and perceived association with the State of Israel’.
Mr Awad hit back on social media and said EFF’s ethical policy wasn’t about politics, but about values.
‘You either stand for justice, or you stand aside,’ he wrote.
‘Let’s demand an ethical music scene. One that refuses to stay silent about genocide.’
The festival has now banned political flags and protests.
‘As an organisation, we are big enough to take our platforming responsibility seriously, but we are also humble enough to recognise when we don’t quite hit the mark or when our message hasn’t landed as we intended,’ it said.
‘Earth Frequency Festival stands for unity and everyone is welcome.’
The backlash against the festival from the Jewish community followed controversy in the UK, where punk duo Bob Vylan started an onstage chant of ‘death to the IDF’ (Israel Defence Force) at the Glastonbury Festival.
Daily Mail Australia contacted EFF and Infected Mushroom for further comment.
