On Monday (May 5), City Parks SummerStage announced that its planned benefit concert featuring R&B star Kehlani was being canceled under advisement from the Mayor’s Office. “We have been notified by the Mayor’s Office that they have concerns for security and safety issues,” their statement on Instagram began. “Those concerns are due to the controversy surrounding Cornell University’s decision to cancel Kehlani’s concert at the University, as well as security demands in Central Park and throughout the City for other Pride events during that same period.”
The post continued, “We strongly and emphatically believe in artistic expression of all kinds. However, the safety and security of our guests and artists is of the utmost importance … While artists may choose to express their opinions, their views may not necessarily be representative of the festival.” To date, the event is still listed on SummerStage’s main website. Kehlani reposted the statement in their Instagram Stories with the caption “lol.” In another story, they shared a selfie, writing: “I just found that one out on instagram by the way.”
The SummerStage cancellation comes a week after a show with Kehlani as the headliner was canceled at Cornell University, where their chancellor wrote in a statement that the “Nights Like This” artist “espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos and on social media.” Kehlani has been staunchly supportive of the Palestinian people since the beginning of Israel’s war with the Hamas terror organization on Oct. 7, 2023 after the group kidnapped over 250 people and killed 1,200 at the Nova Music Festival near Gaza. Since then, an estimated 52,000 Palestinian people have been killed in Gaza, according to CNN, which cites reports from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
“It is deeply unsettling to see elected officials using their offices to dictate the bounds of acceptable expression and muscling private entities to fall into line,” PEN America said in a statement. “No one wins when politicians meddle to suppress artistic expression.” PEN America is a group that supports and advocates for artist freedom and expression, and has lent its voice to fighting back against the misuse of antisemitism charges as the Trump administration has used antisemitism claims against college campuses.
Kehlani Pride Concert In NYC Canceled By Mayor Mixxy Adams Over Palestinian Support
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