Charlotte Church denies song ‘River to the Sea’ sang during pro-Palestine concert is antisemitic

For free actual time breaking information alerts despatched straight to your inbox enroll to our breaking information emails

Sign up to our free breaking information emails

Charlotte Church has denied the song “From the River to the Sea” is antisemitic after she belted out a model at a pro-Palestine concert.

The Welsh musician was recorded singing the divisive song, which might be interpreted as a direct name for the state of Israel to be destroyed, during a pro-Palestine fundraising concert at a village corridor in Caerphilly, South Wales on Saturday.

In a video posted on-line, Church, 38, stands behind a banner that reads “Let Palestine Live” at the fundraising occasion for the Middle East Children’s Alliance charity. She and the choir members wore keffiyeh scarves, which are sometimes worn by pro-Palestine supporters as a logo of solidarity.

At the occasion, Church was seen singing the divisive lyrics “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – a reference to the land between the Jordan River, which borders jap Israel, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism has labelled the song and its central phrase as “antisemitic”, as many British Jews recognise the song as demonstrating a requirement for Israel’s destruction.

However, Palestinian activists say the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is a name for peace and equality after 75 years of Israeli statehood and decades-long, open-ended Israeli army rule over tens of millions of Palestinians.

Broadcasting reside on Instagram on Monday, Church denied that the song was antisemitic and that individuals “who know the history” behind the battle will understand it is “not calling for the obliteration of Israel”.

She mentioned: “Just to clarify my intentions there, I am in no way antisemitic. I am fighting for the liberation of all people. I have a deep heart for all religions and all difference.

“It was a beautiful, beautiful event. But unfortunately the powers that be can’t have that. [They] can’t have such a powerful symbol of resistance as what we worked towards on Saturday.”

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers solely. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews till cancelled

Try totally free

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers solely. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews till cancelled

Try totally free

She added: “Clearly, if you know the history of it all, [it is] not an antisemitic chant calling for the obliteration of Israel. It is not that in any way shape or form. It is calling for the peaceful coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians.”

Church mentioned “lots of other beautiful songs… of liberation and freedom” had been carried out at the occasion, South African songs from the anti-apartheid motion, Welsh songs and Arabic songs “the lyrics of which were adapted to the situation in Palestine”.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism instructed The Independent that Church was utilizing her “voice to fan the flames of hatred”.

“At best Charlotte Church has been tone deaf, but at worst she is using the voice for which she is so well known to fan the flames of hatred.”

It labelled the lyrics as “extremist”, and added: “You cannot stoop lower than using your stardom to teach kids to sing extremist lyrics in a village hall.

Jewish MP Andrew Percy blasted the incident as “deeply concerning”, saying all who joined in Church’s sing-along “should hang their heads in shame”.

The Independent has contacted Church’s representatives for remark.

A spokesperson for the CAA continued: “The genocidal chant ‘From the River to the Sea’ refers to the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea, and only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state – and its replacement with a Palestinian state. It is a call for the annihilation of half the world’s Jews, who live in Israel.

“Since 7 October, when Hamas committed their barbaric terrorist acts, we have heard this chant on the streets of Britain during anti-Israel marches, accompanied by all manner of anti-Jewish racism,” it mentioned.

But like a lot of the Middle East battle, the phrase’s that means relies upon on who is telling the story, and what viewers is listening to it.

In 2021, the Palestinian-American author Yousef Munayyer mentioned the phrase expresses a want for a state wherein “Palestinians can live in their homeland as free and equal citizens, neither dominated by others nor dominating them.

“The claim that the phrase ‘from the river to the sea’ carries a genocidal intent relies not on the historical record, but rather on racism and Islamophobia,” he wrote for Jewish Currents in 2021.

Using the phrase might be pricey for public figures and politicians, corresponding to the Labour MP Andy McDonald, who was suspended from the occasion after referring to the slogan at a protest in London organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

“We won’t rest until we have justice. Until all people, Israelis & Palestinians, between the river & the sea can live in peaceful liberty,” he tweeted.

He then defined: “These words should not be construed in any other way than they were intended, namely as a heartfelt plea for an end to killings in Israel, Gaza, and the occupied West Bank, and for all peoples in the region to live in freedom without the threat of violence.”

At the time, Downing Street expressed considerations over the chant, describing it as “deeply offensive” to many, amid rising controversy surrounding the rhetoric utilized in latest pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

In the US, Representative Rashida Tlaib was censured by the House in November after referring to the slogan.

Defending her stance, Tlaib wrote: “From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate. My work and advocacy is always centred in justice and dignity for all people no matter faith or ethnicity.”