British pop icon Boy George has left a West End production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar after he faced a personal onslaught of abuse for releasing a pro-Israel song, “We Will Dance Again” that stood against the Islamic terrorists of Gaza.
The 65-year-old musician “will no longer be appearing in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium”, his manager Paul Kemsley said on social media.
This week he released a song supporting Israel and its war in Gaza with lyrics including “you say genocide, I say war” and “when you’re attacked, that’s what the army’s for,” as Breitbart News reported.
It came with the hashtag #shalom.
Boy George, who was set to star as King Herod in the acclaimed musical from August 3-15, said he was inspired to write the song after visiting the Nova exhibition which commemorates victims of the Islamic terrorist attack at the music festival and is being displayed in London.
“Why not put the word ‘genocide’ in a song. Why are people suddenly uncomfortable with that word?” the unabashed supporter of the Jewish state said in a post on Instagram Threads.
“George has never been afraid to stand by his personal convictions, and I have always respected him for that,” his manager Kemsley affirmed.
“In this instance, I felt it was right to step aside, allowing the production to remain the focus,” he added.
“Jesus Christ Superstar” was opening Friday on a run until September 5. Culture Club is set to go on a UK tour in December, AFP reports.
The Jerusalem Post previously noted the phrase “We Will Dance Again” is a motto that symbolizes renewal and recovery following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas that left 1,200 dead, about 364 of them concert-goers at the Supernova Music Festival, where the dancing was interrupted by rockets and then mass murder.
This is not the first time the Culture Club lead has voiced his support for Israel.
In 2017 the pop legend fronted a concert in Tel Aviv critics said was tantamount to performing in South Africa during apartheid, as Breitbart News reported.
The singer responded by declaring the two weren’t comparable and that Israel was in his heart.
AFP contributed to this report