“George, you should be ashamed”: Boy George slammed by friend and British musician Martyn Ware over pro-Israel song

British musician, DJ, and songwriter Boy George is facing backlash from his friend Martyn Ware for his pro-Israel song, We Will Dance Again, which was released on X and Instagram with the caption #shalom as well as the track’s Hebrew title. Its opening lyrics go as follows:

“You say genocide, I say war / When you’re attacked, that’s what the army’s for / Does it get ugly? You bet it does / When I know you wanna kill every last one of us.”

English musician, arranger, composer, record producer, and music programmer Martyn Ware reacted to the song with a GIF reading “Do Not Ignore Palestinian Suffering” in red, green, and white colors denoting the Palestinian flag and wrote in the caption:

“I honestly can’t believe that my old friend Boy George has made an overtly pro-genocide, anti-Palestinian piece of musical propaganda… George, you should be ashamed - I hope you think the money was enough to sell your soul… vile.”

Boy George, whose real name is George Alan O’Dowd, responded to the Human League founder in his comment section by writing:

“You’ve lost that loving feeling?”

Martyn Ware, 70, in turn, asked him to “Just take the money and go.”

More about Boy George’s controversial song

Boy George, who was born Catholic, has condemned the actions of Hamas at the Nova Music Festival in Israel on October 7, 2023. Since then, the Israeli military has taken retaliatory action in Palestine, especially the Gaza region. While the Hamas attack killed 344 civilians and 34 security officials and took 44 people hostage, the Israeli conflict in Palestine has ever since killed over 73,000 people, according to the Guardian.

In his brand-new song, Boy George states:

“There will be no war / But, if you’re ever confused / I stand with the Jews / I don’t feel brave, I just need to behave like a human.”

The Culture Club frontman also denounced the pro-Palestinian movement, including fellow artists who have criticized Israel:

“Young girls r*ped against trees / Murdered brutally / For the crime of dancing / You condemn the Jews, with selective memory / Musicians holding flags, mouthing like sheep / Propaganda fuelled by the internet feels so weak.”

The title, We Will Dance Again, was taken from the solidarity phrase used by Israelis, which was previously used in a documentary.

Since 2012, Boy George has said he practises Nichiren Buddhism and chants Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō to help stay sober and find his spiritual standing.

“I'm Catholic in my complications and Buddhist in my aspirations,” he said at the time.

Meanwhile, in a recent interview with The Telegraph, he stood by his Jewish peers, especially those in the 1980s:

“Over the years it’s been a really personal thing. It doesn’t mean that I don’t have compassion for Palestinians; it doesn’t mean that I agree with what’s going on in Israel, but I am always going to defend the people that I love. I have a lot of Jewish friends and there would never be a situation where I’d turn my back on them… We need to make our Jewish community know we support them.”

In another interview earlier this year, the musician reiterated:

“I have many Jewish friends, whom I’ve known since I was 15 or 16 years old. Are people asking me, as someone with principles, to turn my back on my Jewish friends? That is not going to happen – it will never happen. From the beginning of my career, I wore the Star of David… I feel very connected to the Jewish people. I’m not necessarily connected to Israel. I don’t really have an opinion on that. But the mission of music is to unite people.”

It is noteworthy that in 1984, George’s band Culture Club released an anti-war number called The War Song where the chorus cited:

“War is stupid and people are stupid / And love means nothing in some strange quarters.”

Likewise, his other band, Jesus Loves You, is also about love, spirituality, and sharing the message that all humans are equal.

Trending

Now, amid his pro-Israel song, social media users are highlighting Boy George’s problematic past, including substance abuse, drug possession, and malicious falsehood accusations by fellow singer Kirk Brandon. In 2009, he was also sentenced to 15 months in prison for assault and false imprisonment of Norwegian model/ male escort Audun Carlsen. The musician handcuffed Carlsen to a wall and beat him with a metal chain inside his London apartment in April 2007.

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