New Zealand Festival Cancels Israeli DJ Dekel Kamyusky Over Gaza Stance
New Zealand's Twisted Frequency festival canceled Israeli DJ Dekel Kamyusky's performance over his refusal to publicly condemn the war in Gaza and his past IDF service.
The Twisted Frequency festival in New Zealand has canceled the performance of Israeli psy-trance DJ Dekel Kamyusky, citing his refusal to publicly condemn Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Organizers also pointed to his past service in the Israel Defense Forces as a contributing factor in their decision.
In a statement published on Facebook earlier this week, festival organizers stated that Kamyusky became a target for boycotts following concerns raised over his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Organizers subsequently discovered that he had previously served as an IDF commander. Although they acknowledged being unable to verify his personal political beliefs, they asserted that his continued performances in Israel and the absence of a public statement against the military actions were sufficient grounds for cancellation.
"We were unable to find anything verified and significant regarding his personal beliefs, but the fact that he did not speak out against the genocide in Palestine and continued to perform in Israel was all we needed to make the decision with confidence," the organizers wrote in their statement. They clarified that Kamyusky's Israeli citizenship alone was not the primary driver, noting that military service is mandatory for most Jewish Israelis. However, they maintained that the lack of a public declaration against the occupation precluded his participation.
Kamyusky, raised in Kibbutz Ga'aton in northern Israel, is a prominent figure in the international psy-trance scene and has performed at major psychedelic music festivals worldwide, including the O.Z.O.R.A. Festival in Hungary. The New Zealand festival has embraced a pronounced political stance, announcing plans to fly Palestinian flags and host workshops centered on the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Organizers described the initial booking of Kamyusky as an internal oversight due to insufficient background checks, offering an apology to their community. They concluded their statement with a political slogan calling for a boycott of the Israeli government's actions and expressing support for Palestine.
