During their concert at the Ippodromo in Milan, Italy, international pop stars Imagine Dragons waved the Palestinian flag at the end of their performance to show solidarity. In the video, now going viral on social media platforms, lead singer Dan Reynolds is seen unfolding a large Palestinian flag and waving it in the air as his bandmate applauds him. The two then walk down the catwalk arm in arm, taking their bow alongside the rest of the band.
While many fans chimed in to share their joy for the band’s support of Palestine, others were quick to point out Imagine Dragons’ decision to perform in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2023 despite numerous pleas to cancel their show.
Jewish Voice For Peace, the largest Jewish Palestine solidarity organization in the world, penned a letter to Imagine Dragons in 2023 pleading that they don’t play apartheid Israel.
Holocaust survivor, physician, and author, Dr Gabor Mate, was among the many who urged Imagine Dragons to cancel their Tel Aviv performance.
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“I respectfully urge the progressive and humane-minded artists Imagine Dragons to stand by their principles and support both Palestinians and courageous Israelis by not performing in this apartheid country,” he said. “I have personally witnessed the depredations of Israel’s apartheid regime: and apartheid is precisely what international and Israeli human rights organizations have called it.”
Imagine Dragons ignored the requests from several anti-apartheid organizations, activists, and thousands of fans. The band performed in Tel Aviv on August 29, 2023, at Yarkon Park. The venue was built on the ruins of Jarisha, an ethnically cleansed Palestinian village.
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Sam Smith was also scheduled to perform a month later at the same venue that Imagine Dragons chose to play. However, he opted to cancel his Tel Aviv date following appeals from Palestinian and international artists, as well as human rights advocates.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Reynolds addressed his decision, saying, “I don’t believe in depriving our fans who want to see us play because of the acts of their leaders and their governments. I think that’s a really slippery slope. I think the second you start to do that, there’s corrupt leaders and warmongers all over the world, and where do you draw the line?”
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