According to a report by The Mail on Sunday, world-famous British singer Dua Lipa has fired her agent after the latter signed a letter demanding that pro-Palestinian band Kneecap be excluded from the Glastonbury festival.
The letter was sent privately to festival founder Michael Eavis ahead of Glastonbury in July, and was signed by several music industry professionals and artists. However, the letter was made public and was heavily criticised by others in the music world. Kneecap performed on stage anyway.
Among the signatories to the letter was David Levy, Dua Lipa's agent from the renowned talent agency WME. According to music industry sources cited by The Mail on Sunday, Dua Lipa made the decision to fire him due to their incompatible positions on the Palestinian issue.
"She sees him as a supporter of Israel's war in Gaza and its inhumane treatment of Palestinians, which was made very clear through the letter he signed and sent to Michael Eavis," an anonymous source told The Mail.
The Kneecap group has been at the center of controversy after accusations of support for Hezbollah and Hamas, accusations that the group categorically denies.
In May, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, a member of the band who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged under British terrorism law for displaying a Hezbollah flag during a concert in November last year. The next hearing in his case is scheduled for later this month.
Last week, Kneecap strongly criticized the Canadian government for banning them from entering the country, accusing them of inciting political violence and terrorism through their alleged support for Hamas and Hezbollah. In their response, the group called Canadian official Vince Gasparro's statement "completely untrue and malicious," and warned of legal action against him.
Meanwhile, a growing number of pro-Palestinian artists are calling on the music industry to take a stronger stance. On Friday, more than 400 musicians and record labels signed the “No Music for Genocide” initiative, pulling their music from Israel in response to the war in Gaza and “ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank.”
"This is a concrete step to honor the demands of the Palestinian people to isolate and delegitimize Israel as it kills with impunity in the international arena," the initiative's statement said.
Al Jazeera has contacted the WME agency for comment, but has not yet received a response.
