Ziggy Marley signs letter supporting Israel; also posts ‘free Gaza from Hamas’
700 celebrities put their signatures to CCFP document
Published:Monday | October 23, 2023 | 12:08 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
Multi-Grammy Award-winning reggae superstar, Ziggy Marley, has been making headlines lately, and it’s not for his music.
Ziggy, the son of reggae icon, Bob Marley, signed an open letter affirming his support of Israel amid the war with Hamas, which has been dominating global headlines. Media reports are that 700 notable figures, including Hollywood celebrities and executives have signed the letter, which was written by Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), a non-profit entertainment industry organisation. Its membership includes prominent figures in the entertainment community “who have come together to promote the arts as a bridge to peace, to educate about rising antisemitism within the entertainment industry, and to galvanise support against the cultural boycott of Israel”.
CCFP also describes itself as “an apolitical organisation that strives to provide balance to the discourse regarding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict”.
The letter instructs Hollywood “to speak out forcefully against Hamas, to support Israel, to refrain from sharing misinformation about the war, and do whatever is in their power to urge the terrorist organisation to return the innocent hostages to their families”.
Online news outlets including vibe.com and yahoo.com have carried the headline: Over 700 Stars Sign Open Letter In Support Of Israel: Billy Porter, Ziggy Marley, Mekhi Phifer And More.
On October 9, two days after the attack by Hamas, Tuff Gong Worldwide, Ziggy’s record label, made a post on social media. “It is absolutely reasonable and logical to be opposed to the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians while simultaneously calling for the protection of Jews in Israel and around the world. Hamas is a terrorist organisation that is attacking civilians by land, air and sea. The images of kidnapped Israelis are shocking and devastating. Given the thousands of years of persecution of Jews, please know that your Jewish friends – even if they are not in Israel – are hurting and are fearful when things like this happen and non-Jews are silent. I understand many of us are afraid to voice an opinion because the crisis there is so nuanced and hard to understand, and are afraid of saying the wrong thing. But we can – and must- always use our voices to denounce terrorism and the senseless murder of civilians.”
Ziggy’s wife Orly Agai, an Israeli of Iranian-Jewish descent, is the president of Tuff Gong Worldwide and a former vice-president of William Morris Agency.
THERE MUST BE A BETTER WAY
On October 20, taking to his own personal social media page, Ziggy posted a picture of a raised hand, along with the words, “You know wha! There must be a better way. Free Gaza from Hamas.”
Commenting on Ziggy’s post under the headline, Ziggy Marley Blasts Anti-Semitic Terrorists and Supports Israel theamericanbeat.com stated, “Ziggy Marley took to social media to express his views on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. His most recent instagram post unequivocally declares his support for the Israeli government’s offensive actions in response to the October 7th Hamas pogrom on innocent Israeli civillians. Ziggy Marley proudly declares: “Free Gaza From Hamas’.”
On Sunday, Ziggy made another post: “To whom it may concern: Civilian lives matter, innocent lives matter, children lives matter.”
While there has been much positve feedback, one portal, newsday.co.zw, in a column by Fred Zindi, asked Has Ziggy Marley betrayed the revolution?
Zindi wrote. “Mike, a friend of mine who I was with when Bob Marley came to Zimbabwe in 1980, says that he is dismayed at Ziggy Marley’s support of Israel given his father’s revolutionary stance.” In the column, he noted that Marley wrote several revolutionary songs “out of frustration and anger on behalf of the people who felt suffocated by curfews and police brutality in Jamaica””
He continued, “When Marley came to celebrate Zimbabwe’s Independence in 1980, Mike and I briefly spoke to Ziggy, aged ten at the time. He was clinging on to his mother, Rita. After greeting them both, we asked Ziggy if he was going to follow in his father’s footsteps as a revolutionary singer. His response was simply, ‘Yeah man!’ So signing a petition in support of Israel is not what one expects from a Jamaican-born revolutionary and son of Bob Marley given the history for Israel and the Palestinians since 1948. However, I can understand Ziggy Marley signing this petition. Ziggy Marley has a personal connection to the country through his Israeli wife, Orly, and their Jamaican-Israeli daughter, Judah Victoria.”
Other celebrities who have signed the letter are Wonder Woman actress and Miss Israel 2004, Gal Gadot, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jerry Seinfeld, George Lopez and Amy Schumer.