Anti-Israel singer Kehlani has NYC concert nixed after pressure from mayor’s office

A concert in Central Park by the anti-Israel singer Kehlani was canceled on Monday after pressure from the New York City mayor’s office, though the notice of cancellation attributed the move to security concerns rather than objections to her public statements.

“We strongly and emphatically believe in artistic expression of all kinds,” said the City Parks Foundation, which had been slated to put on the show.

“However, the safety and security of our guests and artists is of the utmost importance, and in light of these concerns, the concert has been canceled.”

Kehlani, who was supposed to perform next month at a show called “Pride with Kehlani,” during the city’s LGBTQ Pride month, has said, “fuck Israel from the top of my lungs,” and praised “resistance in all of its forms” — frequently a euphemism for terrorism.

She has also referred to “Zionists” as “the scum of the earth,” and called to “DISMANTLE ISRAEL” and “ERADICATE ZIONISM.”

Last year, Kehlani put out a music video that flashed the message, “Long live the intifada,” using a word that refers, among other things, to several waves of deadly terrorism targeting Israeli civilians.

A top New York City official on Monday warned the City Parks Foundation that its license to put on the SummerStage concert series — which has run since 1986 — could be in jeopardy if it did not “promptly take steps” to address “security concerns” surrounding the show.

“We write to advise you that we have security concerns about this event, given the controversy surrounding Kehlani’s scheduled performance at Cornell University,” wrote First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro.

Cornell recently canceled Kehlani’s appearance at its annual Slope Day celebration, marking the end of the semester. The university, however, explicitly attributed its decision to disapproval of the singer’s public statements, rather than any security rationale.

“In the days since Kehlani was announced, I have heard grave concerns from our community that many are angry, hurt, and confused that Slope Day would feature a performer who has espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media,” wrote Cornell president Michael Kotlikoff, who is Jewish, at the time.

PEN condemns cancellation as ‘cowardly’

Kehlani has rejected accusations of antisemitism, saying after her Cornell show was canceled, “I’m being asked and called to clarify and make a statement yet again for the millionth time that I am not antisemitic nor anti-Jew.” The singer said: “I am anti-genocide. I am anti- the actions of the Israeli government.”

On Monday, after the Central Park show was canceled, Kehlani took to Instagram, writing “they canceled this one too,” and, “lol,” adding: “i’m so deeply grounded in my purpose my mission my art my contribution. back to this album. see you this weekend LA!”

The free expression group PEN America condemned the Central Park cancellation on Monday.

“A free society demands a fierce defense of free speech — not the cowardly cancellation of it. 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,” said Jonathan Friedman, the group’s managing director, in a statement.

He noted, “At both Cornell and Summer Stage, those calling for Kehlani’s cancellation have justified it on the basis of opposition to comments about Israel and Palestine, which some view as antisemitic.”

US Rep. Ritchie Torres of the Bronx, who is an outspoken supporter of Israel and a prominent voice against antisemitism, was among those calling for the show’s cancellation, and welcoming it on Monday.

The City Parks Foundation—funded by NYC tax dollars—is platforming Kehlani, an artist who has publicly called for an “Intifada Revolution” and the dismantling of Israel. The Second Intifada, which she invokes, unleashed a wave of suicide bombings, shootings, and stabbings that… pic.twitter.com/Pc3LzkhncU

— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) May 2, 2025

“The City Parks Foundation — funded by NYC tax dollars — is platforming Kehlani, an artist who has publicly called for an ‘Intifada Revolution’ and the dismantling of Israel,’” he wrote on X last week.

“The Second Intifada, which she invokes, unleashed a wave of suicide bombings, shootings, and stabbings that murdered more than 1,000 Israelis,” he noted.

“America’s largest city has no business subsidizing or sanitizing antisemitism at taxpayer expense. Stop mainstreaming the extremes and inviting those who incite violence,” the congressman said.

On Monday, Torres shared a screenshot of his original post and added: “Antisemitism becomes unacceptable only when we, as a society, have the courage to reject it — clearly, consistently, and without compromise.”

Anti-Israel protest at Met Gala

Also Monday, anti-Israel protesters from the “Within our Lifetime” group protested outside the annual Met Gala.

Videos on social media showed the demonstrators marching behind the group’s standard banners, reading “By Any Means Necessary” and “Resistance Until Victory.”

Protesters also flew a flag bearing a portrait of Ahmad Saadat, jailed leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Considered a symbol in Palestinian society, Saadat arranged the 2001 assassination of Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Ze’evi during the Second Intifada.

NOW: Pro-Palestine Protesters Hop Barricades near Met Gala as they March through Central Park. pic.twitter.com/FBLLrvg6CR

— Oliya Scootercaster ???? (@ScooterCasterNY) May 5, 2025

Other video showed protesters shouting “Move, cops, get out the way!” and pushing past barricades in Central Park.

They also shouted: “NYPD, KKK, IOF, they’re all the same!” equating the New York Police Department, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Israel Defense Forces, which in anti-Israel propaganda materials is often called the “Israel Occupation Forces” or “Israel Offensive Forces.”

“Met Gala, you can’t hide! You support genocide!” chanted the protesters, many of whom had their faces covered.

A small band of counter-protesters — mostly teenagers, according to video posted on social media — also showed up, draped in Israel flags, singing, “Am Yisrael Chai” and chanting “Free the hostages.”