Two New Zealand activists were ordered to pay damages of 45,000 Israeli new shekels (€10,700; $12,400) for causing mental harm to three Israeli teenagers who had bought tickets to Lorde's concert.

The lawsuit is considered the first ruling based on a controversial 2011 Israeli anti-boycott law that allows civil action against individuals or organizations who call for a boycott of the state of Israel.

Read more: Israel music scene struggles with international boycott

Foreign judgment not automatically enforceable in New Zealand

The activists, however, rejected the order to pay. "Our advice from New Zealand legal experts has been clear: Israel has no right to police the political opinions of people across the world," New Zealanders Justine Sachs and Nadia Abu-Shanab said in a statement Friday.

Sachs and Abu-Shanab said they believed the legal action was "a stunt of which the sole intention is to intimidate Israel's critics." They said that they would not pay the fine and would instead fundraise for a Gaza mental health organization. As of Monday morning, the two had raised over $25,000 through their online donation website. Their goal was to raise the fine amount of $12,000.

Unusual lawsuit followed Lorde's concert cancellation

In December, the New Zealand culture website The Spinoff published Sachs and Abu-Shanab's letter to fellow New Zealander Lorde, asking her to cancel her planned Tel Aviv performance.

"Playing in Tel Aviv will be seen as giving support to the policies of the Israeli government, even if you make no comment on the political situation," the activists wrote.

The singer responded to their letter on Twitter, saying the concerns had been "Noted!"

Days later, the 21-year-old Grammy winning pop star canceled the performance which was due to conclude her "Melodrama" world tour.

Three Israeli ticket holders, who had been refunded, filed the suit in January, claiming the cancellation had caused emotional distress. Their lawyer, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, told the Jerusalem Post that the court's decision "makes it clear that anyone who calls for a boycott against the state of Israel could find themselves liable for damages and need to pay compensation to those hurt by the boycott call, if they're in Israel or outside it."

Darshan-Leitner also said that reciprocal treaties would allow the court to pursue the damages awarded to her clients. "Now after the verdict, we will go after their bank accounts until it is fully realized," she said in a statement.

Boycott also affects German culture

The most well-known movement calling for a boycott of the state of Israel is Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). It aims to end Israel's withdrawal of the occupied territories and also incites artists to culturally boycott Israel.

Germany has also been affected by the BDS movement. Artists supporting the boycott, such as British rapper Kate Tempest and Scotland-based Young Fathers have canceled their performances in Germany following controversies surrounding their political beliefs.

Israel boycott: Who joins and who performs? Roger Waters, Pink Floyd co-founder Waters supports the British branch of the "Artists for Palestine" organization and thus the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights and statehood. BDS is asking musicians to cancel concerts in Israel as part of a broader boycott aimed at putting pressure on the Israeli government to end illegal settlements, for example.

Israel boycott: Who joins and who performs? Kate Tempest, rapper and Artist for Palestine She supports Artists for Palestine and makes it clear that she is appalled by the actions of the Israeli government against the Palestinians. "After much thought, I joined the cultural boycott as an act of protest," she said. She has rejected accusations of being anti-Semitic and says she is of Jewish decent. As a result of pressure from both sides. she canceled an October concert in Berlin.

Israel boycott: Who joins and who performs? Elvis Costello: a matter of 'conscience' For years, well-known bands and musicians have canceled concerts in Israel. They include Carlos Santana, the Pixies and Elvis Costello, who in 2010 explained the reason for his boycott. Writing on his website, he said it's "a matter of instinct and conscience" to protest "conditions that visit intimidation, humiliation or much worse on Palestinian civilians in the name of national security."

Israel boycott: Who joins and who performs? Depeche Mode stay silent During their Delta Machine Tour of 2013-14, the English new wave band shared every day of their tour extensively online. But they did not say a word about the gig in Tel Aviv. Were Depeche Mode ashamed about the concert? In mid 2006, the band had canceled a show in Israel for political reasons due to the ongoing Lebanon war.

Israel boycott: Who joins and who performs? Johnny Rotten: no problems with Israeli After calling for anarchy in the UK with the Sex Pistols, he uses real name Johnny Lyden with band PiL these days, and was happy to play a concert in Tel Aviv in 2010 after Elvis Costello had announced his Israel boycott. His reasoning: "Until I see an Arab country, a Muslim country, with a democracy, I won't understand how anyone can have a problem with how [the Palestinians] are treated."

Israel boycott: Who joins and who performs? Elton John takes to the stage Elton John has often performed in Israel but has faced increasing pressure from the BDS movement since it was founded in 2005. The petitioning hasn't worked, with the Rocket Man playing sold-out Tel Aviv shows in 2016 and 2010, when he greeted fans with the words: "Shalom! We're spreading peace and love on this stage and we're happy to be here."

Israel boycott: Who joins and who performs? An 'extremely upsetting experience' for Radiohead Radiohead were also under massive pressure in July 2017 before their gig in Israel. But singer Thom Yorke spoke of his decision to reject a petition signed by Desmond Tutu, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and others asking Radiohead not to play: "There's an awful lot of people who don't agree with the BDS movement, including us. I don't agree with the cultural ban at all," he told Rolling Stone.

Israel boycott: Who joins and who performs? Michael Stipe encourages dialogue The R.E.M. singer spoke out publicly during the intensifying debate around the Radiohead's looming appearance in Israel — its first since 2000. "I stand with Radiohead and their decision to perform. Let’s hope a dialogue continues, helping to bring the occupation to an end and lead to a peaceful solution." R.E.M. and Radiohead toured Israel together in 1995.

Israel boycott: Who joins and who performs? Nick Cave: stands against 'censorship' The Facebook page "Nick Cave, Hold On to Yourself - Don't Play Apartheid" was set up as part of the Artists for Palestine campaign to encourage Cave to cancel his November 2017 concert in Tel Aviv. But he still played, saying: "[It] became very important to make a stand against those people who are trying to shut down musicians, to bully musicians, to censor musicians, and to silence musicians."

Israel boycott: Who joins and who performs? 'Bryan, tell the world again that you do not support apartheid' BDS is currently petitioning musician Bryan Adams to "unplug from Israeli apartheid" and cancel scheduled December concerts in Israel. Adams once said that the war in Gaza was a war against humanity. In addition, he canceled his Mississippi tour in 2016 in protest against the homophobic laws there. But Adams hasn't listened to BDS and instead will perform an additional concert in Jaffa.

Israel boycott: Who joins and who performs? Boney M in Palestine Concerts in Israel can go on without indignation and protest. In 2010, the German disco pop group Boney M performed in the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah, where many Israelis were in the audience. However, they were requested not to sing their biggest hit "Rivers of Babylon," as one line is the biblical yearning for the Land of Zion. The musicians accepted the censorship without complaint.

Israel boycott: Who joins and who performs? Lorde scraps tour finale in Tel Aviv The Croatian-New Zealand performer Lorde originally planned to end her "Melodrama" 2018 tour in Tel Aviv, but reversed this decision on the urging of her fans. In a statement, she said visiting Tel Aviv has long been a dream of hers, and that she hoped one day "we can all dance." Author: Silke Wünsch (sb)



eg/cmb (AP, dpa, Reuters)