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Jazz musician cancelled for supporting 50 remaining hostages in Gaza at festival: ‘I’m not a politician’
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Berlin swing musician David Hermlin says he is facing cancellation after being excluded from some of Europe’s leading jazz festivals and accused of intimidation at a meeting organized by a pro-Palestinian group.
The 25-year-old told Fox News Digital his only actions were asking two questions and wearing a yellow pin in solidarity with hostages still held in Gaza.
«I didn’t harass or intimidate anyone. I merely asked two questions I thought were legitimate,» Hermlin said.
Known on social media as «Daveetheewave,» Hermlin has built a reputation not just for his music but for his image. He dresses in authentic 1930s fashion, complete with slicked-back hair, vintage microphone and a charcoal gray suit that looks plucked from a Fred Astaire film.
BBC DEEMED UK PUNK-RAP DUO ‘HIGH RISK’ BEFORE CONTROVERSIAL ANTI-ISRAEL PERFORMANCE
David Hermlin (Annette Riedl/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The look fits the sound. He sings classics like «Let’s Fall in Love» backed by his own big band, The Swing Dance Orchestra, that recreates the golden era of swing down to the last detail. His yellow ribbon pin, worn neatly on the lapel of that tailored suit, stood out at this year’s festival and became a flashpoint in the controversy.
Hermlin’s experience raises questions about free speech in the entertainment world. He frames his case as part of a broader historical pattern of exclusion.
«What kind of a world is this now that before I can play at a festival, I have to make a political statement? It’s a music festival, not a political festival,» he said.
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David Hermlin, center in red jacket, plays drums surrounded by his big band orchestra. (Uwe Hauth)
The Herräng Dance Camp in Sweden is considered one of the world’s most recognized swing festivals. At this year’s gathering, a group called Jazz with Palestine held an open meeting. Hermlin was performing as a drummer with another ensemble, not his own orchestra.
He later learned that organizers not only excluded him from that group’s jam sessions but made it clear they would not consider booking his personal projects, like The Swing Dance Orchestra.
«I went with the sole intention to just listen to their concerns and, if possible, have a dialogue,» Hermlin explained.
At the Jazz with Palestine meeting, Hermlin asked two questions. He wanted to know where monetary donations would be directed and what the lyrics of the Arabic song used for choreography meant. The exchange later prompted complaints about his «intimidating presence.»
«The first question was, if I want to donate some money, where are the donations going?» Hermlin recalled. «The second was, what’s the meaning of the Arabic song? They said they didn’t know. I asked, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to know before filming a choreography?’»
STATE DEPARTMENT PULLS VISAS FOR BRITISH BAND BOB VYLAN, FOLLOWING ‘DEATH TO THE IDF’ CHANTS AT GLASTONBURY
Andrej Hermlin and David Hermlin during the Askania Awards 2023 at the Berlin Capital Club Feb. 14, 2023, in Berlin, Germany. (Tristar Media/Getty Images)
He said he was stunned when a board member told him some attendees were uncomfortable.
Hermlin also faced criticism for wearing a small yellow lapel pin, which symbolizes solidarity with the 50 hostages still held by Hamas. Festivalgoers suggested the pin was inflammatory or political propaganda. Hermlin rejects that characterization.
«People pointed at my yellow pin and said, ‘Maybe people are aggressive because of your pin.» I asked them, ’Do you know what it means?’ They said no,» he said. «This pin is about the hostages. It’s not about the IDF or the government. It’s about empathy.»
After Herräng, Hermlin said other festivals began dropping him from their lineups while keeping his band. «I’m the only one being excluded. Not the band, just me,» he said. «A festival told me, ‘don’t take it personally, you’ll get a cancellation fee.’ But how is that not personal?»
(L-to-R) Andrej Hermlin with daughter Rachel Hermlin and brother David Hermlin Oct. 9, 2021. (Gerald Matzka/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Jazz with Palestine for comment but did not receive a response. On its website and social media, the group describes itself as a movement of jazz and swing dancers across Europe that uses music, dance and political action to stand with the Palestinian people.
Its mission statement says the group raises awareness and funds and that jazz is rooted in the «fight against racial and colonial oppression.» The group has recently promoted fundraising efforts for humanitarian groups in Gaza and announced plans for social dance events and educational forums.
Hermlin says the treatment reminds him of both the McCarthy era and his own family’s history in Berlin during the 1930s. He also points to the swing world’s history of exclusion.
«It reminds me of the McCarthy era, when artists were pressed to declare if they were communists. If you said yes, you were boycotted,» he said. «They did this in front of photos of Norma Miller, Frankie Manning and the Nicholas Brothers, artists excluded in the 1930s. How ironic is that?»
He also cites Benny Goodman, the Jewish clarinetist who became the «King of Swing» and defied segregation by hiring Black musicians such as Teddy Wilson, Lionel Hampton and Charlie Christian.
«As Benny Goodman showed in the 1930s, swing is about inclusion. That’s its very soul,» Hermlin said.
Despite the fallout, Hermlin vows to keep playing.
«I had no choice but to speak up. Music should unite and not divide,» he said.
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«I never wanted to be dragged into politics. I’m a swing musician, not a politician — my instrument is the drums, not a political statement.
«My way of fighting back is to keep swinging. That’s what I’ll do. I always end my concerts by saying, ‘Don’t forget, keep swinging.’ And I mean it.»
israel,entertainment,europe,music,jazz,anti semitism
INTERNACIONAL
Elecciones en Moldavia: el partido gobernante denunció que el intento de Rusia de interferir en los comicios fue “colosal”
El líder del gobernante Partido Acción y Solidarida (PAS) de Moldavia, Ígor Grosu, acusó este domingo a Rusia de emprender unos intentos “colosales” de socavar los comicios legislativos de hoy.
“Los intentos de Rusia de socavar el proceso electoral fueron colosales”, dijo Grosu, citado por medios moldavos, al término de la votación y a falta de conocerse sus resultados.
Grosu agregó que estos esfuerzos consistieron en “compra de votos, intentos de desestabilización y falsas amenazas de bomba”.
“Las instituciones estatales hicieron todo lo posible para garantizar la seguridad y la integridad del proceso electoral”, aseguró y añadió que las consecuencias de las acciones de Rusia “son difíciles de evaluar en ese momento”.
El político dijo que ahora hay que esperar los resultados de los comicios y mantener la calma.
Mientras, el ex presidente moldavo y uno de los líderes del opositor Bloque Electoral Patriótico, Ígor Dodon, aseguró que PAS “ha entrado en pánico” y baraja incluso anular los resultados, “ya que rechaza categóricamente ceder el poder”.
“Estimados ciudadanos, queridos moldavos, nos vemos mañana a las 12 horas cerca del Parlamento. Hoy votamos por el cambio, mañana lo vamos a defender”, escribió Dodon en Telegram.
Este domingo, el PAS lidera las elecciones parlamentarias con el 38 % de los votos, según los primeros resultados ofrecidos por la Comisión Electoral Central (CEC) del país, sin que se conozca aún si este resultado será suficiente para que el PAS siga en el poder.
Tras el escrutinio del 19 por ciento de las papeletas, en segundo lugar se sitúa el opositor Bloque Electoral Patriótico, que defiende el fortalecimiento de los lazos con Moscú y obtiene el respaldo del 33,63 % de los electores.
La alta participación marcó las elecciones parlamentarias que se celebraron este domingo, en una jornada empañada por acusaciones del Gobierno de casos de fraude en los comicios y alertas de bomba en algunos colegios electorales.
A las 17:00 hora local (14:00 GMT), la participación alcanzaba más del 43,8 %, es decir, ya habían ejercido su derecho al voto más de 1,2 millones de electores.
Para que las elecciones sean reconocidas como válidas se necesitaba la participación de al menos el 33 % de los votantes.
La afluencia a las urnas en estos comicios fue alta, tanto dentro de Moldavia como fuera de sus fronteras, donde ya votaron cerca de 200.000 electores.
“Hoy, miles de ciudadanos de la República de Moldavia ejercen su derecho al voto en el extranjero, demostrando una vez más la fuerza y la unidad de nuestra diáspora”, señaló previamente el Ministerio de Exteriores moldavo en un comunicado.
En total, Moldavia se abrieron cerca de 2.000 colegios electorales dentro del país y 301 en el extranjero, la mayoría en países europeos.
Precisamente la posición de la diáspora fue clave para dar la victoria al rumbo europeo de esa antigua república soviética en el referéndum y las presidenciales del año pasado.
La presidenta del país, la europeísta Maia Sandu, informó de casos de fraude con las papeletas registrados en varios colegios dentro del país.
Sandu llamó a los moldavos a demostrar que son “fuertes” y seguir ejerciendo su derecho al voto.
La misión de observación Promo-LEX informó de 254 infracciones confirmadas en lo que va de jornada electoral. La mayoría de estos incidentes estaba relacionada con la violación del derecho de los ciudadanos al voto secreto.
(Con información de EFE)
Europe,Elections / Voting,Chisinau
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Ex Michelle Obama aide leads Des Moines school board’s defense of superintendent arrested by ICE
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Iowa Democrats are rallying behind a school superintendent who was arrested by ICE on allegations that he is in the country illegally this week, and they are led by a school board chair who once held a key role in the Obama White House.
After ICE arrested Ian Roberts, the superintendent for Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) last week, school board chair Jackie Norris called for people to have «radical empathy» as Roberts’ case plays out. Norris previously served as White House chief of staff for then-first lady Michelle Obama. Meanwhile, Republicans in the state legislature are also launching a probe into how the board chose Roberts in the first place.
Norris supported Roberts in a statement on Friday in which she said that officials «do not have all the facts.»
«There is much we do not know,» Norris said. «However, what we do know is that Dr. Roberts has been an integral part of our school community since he joined over two years ago.»
IOWA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT ARRESTED BY ICE, FACING PRIOR WEAPONS CHARGES, ALLEGEDLY FOUND WITH LOADED HANDGUN
Authorities said a handgun was found in a vehicle used by Ian Roberts to flee from pursuing ICE agents. (ICE)
«During his time with our district, he has shown up in ways big and small and has advocated for students and staff, and has begun introducing concepts that will help us reimagine education for future generations,» she continued.
Norris said Roberts joined the school district in July 2023 after having served in various school districts across the U.S. for «over 20 years.» Norris was not the chair of the school board at the time Roberts started, but she has been a member since 2021.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the Iowa legislature are calling for a wider probe to ensure proper hiring practices are being followed across the state. Iowa’s House Government Oversight Committee also sent a letter to the DMPS directing it to preserve documents related to Roberts’ hiring.
«I will not hesitate to introduce and pass legislation to mandate enhanced hiring protocols, increase transparency in district operations, and protect the resources allocated to our schools through the appropriations process,» State Rep. Austin Harris said. «Iowa’s families deserve nothing less than a safe, lawful, and effective education system for their children.»
DMPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Jackie Norris worked as Michelle Obama’s chief of staff in the White House in 2009. (Getty Images)
ICE alleges that Roberts is in the country illegally from Guyana. They say he is not legally permitted to work in the United States and had a final order of removal from a judge issued in May 2024.
Roberts was arrested after allegedly driving away from law enforcement. He later abandoned his car in the woods, and Iowa State Patrol ended up finding him, according to a press release.
«This suspect was arrested in possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle provided by Des Moines Public Schools after fleeing federal law enforcement,» ICE ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson said in a statement.
«This should be a wake-up call for our communities to the great work that our officers are doing every day to remove public safety threats,» Olson continued. «How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district.»
Ian Roberts, head of Des Moines Public Schools, was arrested by immigration authorities on Friday after a brief chase, Roberts was living in the United States illegally, authorities said. (Getty Images; ICE)
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The district said Roberts had previously done an I-9 to prove legal status, but that it was conducted by a third-party group and that it did not know about an order of removal, according to The Associated Press.
Roberts came to the United States with a student visa in 1999 and had charges for weapon possession in 2020, according to ICE.
immigration,education,politics,iowa
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Estados Unidos: Donald Trump ordena el envío de tropas a Portland para proteger la ciudad de «terroristas internos»
– Ciudad «santuario» –
Agentes de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de EE. UU. detienen a un hombre frente al edificio de Inmigración y Aduanas de EE. UU. durante una protesta en Portland, Oregón. Foto AP– «Sedición terrorista» –
Inmigración en EE.UU,Donald Trump,Inmigración,Estados Unidos
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