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WORLD NEWS Thursday 1 February 2018
Israelis sue New Zealanders

over pop singer Lorde boycott

By TIA GOLDENBERG “join the artistic boycott of must be held to compen-
Associated Press Israel.” The New Zealand sate Israeli citizens for the
JERUSALEM (AP) — An Is- singer-songwriter replied to moral and emotional injury
raeli legal rights group said a tweet of the letter say- and the indignity caused
Wednesday it is suing two ing “Noted! Been speaking by their discriminatory ac-
New Zealanders for alleg- (with) many people about tions.”
edly convincing the pop this and considering all op- Darshan-Leitner said the
singer Lorde to cancel her tions. Thank u for educat- law has not yet been test-
performance in Israel in ing me i am learning all the ed in court because prov-
what appears to be the first time too.” She canceled ing a link between a boy-
lawsuit filed under a con- her show days later. cott and a call for one
tentious Israeli anti-boycott The group, Shurat HaDin, is difficult. She said in this
law. claims the New Zealanders, case the connection is
The 2011 law opens the one Jewish and one Pales- clear, claiming that the first In this Nov. 18, 2014, file photo, singer Lorde poses for
door to civil lawsuits against tinian, knew that their let- time Lorde brought up her photographers during an promotional event in Hong Kong.
anyone calling for a boy- ter could trigger a boycott, reservations on the Tel Aviv Associated Press
cott against Israel, includ- making them open to a suit performance was after the The 2011 law is one of a with its call for a return of
ing of lands it has occupied, under the law. The group, pair’s letter and that the number of measures Israel Palestinian refugees to
if that call could knowingly which filed the lawsuit in a two women “took credit” has taken in recent years land inside what is now Isra-
lead to a boycott. The law, Jerusalem court on Tues- for Lorde’s decision to can- to combat an internation- el, goes beyond opposition
which is part of Israel’s fight day, is suing on behalf of cel on social media and al grassroots movement to the West Bank occupa-
against a global move- three Israeli would-be con- elsewhere. advocating for boycotts, tion and masks a deeper
ment calling for boycotts certgoers for about $13,000 Contacted on Twitter, divestment and sanctions aim of destroying the entire
against the Jewish state, in damages. Sachs said she was un- against the Jewish state. country.
allows for courts to impose “This lawsuit is an effort to aware of any lawsuit. The movement’s supporters Lorde announced late last
damages against defen- give real consequences to Darshan-Leitner said any- say it is a nonviolent way year she was cancelling
dants. Critics said the law those who selectively tar- one can be sued under to promote the Palestinian her Tel Aviv performance,
would stifle free expression. get Israel and seek to im- the law, regardless of their cause. It has urged busi- scheduled for June 2018.
The two New Zealanders, pose an unjust and illegal nationality, and that she nesses, artists and universi- She joined a number of
Justine Sachs and Nadia boycott against the Jewish hopes legal agreements ties to sever ties with Israel other international stars
Abu-Shanab, penned an state,” said Nitsana Dar- between Israel and New and includes thousands canceling shows in Israel,
open letter to Lorde last shan-Leitner, the group’s Zealand will help enforce of volunteers around the although many have con-
year in which they urged head and a lawyer repre- any court ruling in favor of world. tinued to perform despite
her to “take a stand” and senting the plaintiffs. “They the plaintiffs. Israel says the campaign, pressure from activists.q

Journalist says BBC treating women as ‘enemy’ over pay gap

LONDON (AP) — A senior many high-profile female
BBC journalist who quit her employees earned far less
post to protest the media than their male counter-
company’s gender pay parts.
gap argued Wednesday Gracie said manage-
that management is hurt- ment’s failure to address
ing the corporation’s cred- the problem was “dam-
ibility by failing to address aging the credibility of the
the issue. BBC in a completely unac-
Carrie Gracie, the broad- ceptable way.”
caster’s former China edi- “We’re not in the business
tor, testified before a British of producing toothpaste
parliamentary commit- or tires at the BBC,” she
tee that BBC managers said. “Our business is truth.
have treated women who “If we’re not prepared to
speak out about pay “as look at ourselves honestly,
some sort of enemy.” how can we be trusted to
Gracie said once confront- look at anything else in re-
ed, the corporation tried porting honestly?”
to “throw money at me to BBC Director-General Tony
resolve the problem.” Hall, who was also ques-
“This will not resolve my tioned by the Culture, Me-
problem,” she said. dia and Sport Committee,
“My problem will be re- said the BBC did not dis-
solved by an acknowl- criminate based on gen-
edgement my work was of In this image made from screengrab, journalist Carrie Gracie gives evidence to the Digital, der.
equal value to the men I Culture, Media and Sport Committee in Portcullis House, London, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. But he said there was
served alongside.” Associated Press “a difference between
Gracie resigned in early jobs had much higher sal- “I demand to be paid last summer when the BBC the scale and scope” of
January after learning that aries. Gracie said she told equally.” released a list of top earn- jobs that meant salaries
male colleagues in similar the BBC: Tensions over pay flared ers, which showed that varied.q