Ziggy Marley has responded to accusations after Queen Ifrica called him out for his alleged involvement in raising funds for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
The outspoken Reggae singer shared an article on Instagram alleging that Ziggy raised funds to support Israel in the war. In her caption, she wrote, “I support the idea of no wars at all. As a human race, we should fight for equal rights and justice for all. I love the Marleys unconditionally. But at the same time, I love the truth more. And the truth is that our voices as leaders in music should shout loudest for justice for all.” She continued, in part, “So, Ziggy Marley, I hope the funds you helped to raise will help to STOP the WARS and not encourage it.”
In the comment section of Queen Ifrica’s post, Ziggy Marley dispelled the claims. The “Love Is My Religion” hitmaker who is married to an Israeli, wrote, “Don’t really like commenting on sh*t like this but thank you all. I have never raised any money for IDF or any other military in the world. But let them continue to spread their lies to hate. It’s nothing new in our history. We keep we eye open as well as our hearts.”
Allegations are that in 2018, Ziggy Marley along with a few other artists, raised about US$60 million for the Israeli military forces.
In October last year, Ziggy Marley was blasted for signing an open letter in support of Israel in the ongoing conflict with Gaza that has killed more than 5,000 Palestinians, half of whom were children.
Meanwhile, last month (March 2024), after several calls for the World of Music, Arts, and Dance (WOMAD) festival to uninvite Ziggy Marley over his perceived pro-Israel stance, protestors waving Palestinian flags and boycott Israel signs, flocked the center of the crowd during his performance to convey their message.
Currently, outrage against the war persists as university and college students across the United States continue to protest against the Israeli war on Gaza, which has led to widespread police crackdowns and over 2,000 students arrested.
