Salon de la Critique in the Koeppenhaus

Pop music was once seen as a medium of emancipation, but since 7 October at the latest, there doesn't seem to be much left of it. Musicians are signing open letters and statements that trivialise the Hamas massacre. Calls are being made for boycotts, concerts are turning into anti-Israel rallies.
The Hamas massacre was also an attack on the world of music, emancipation and freedom. The refusal of large sections of pop music to recognise this is just as remarkable as the self-portrayal of some musicians as freedom fighters.

Maria Kanitz and Lukas Geck see 7 October as an opportunity to take a closer look at anti-Semitic derailments in pop culture. Using numerous examples from recent years - such as Roger Waters, Kanye West and Macklemore - they show the extent to which anti-Semitism has now seeped into the pop cultural repertoire. Be it the support of boycott campaigns, conspiracy myths in songs or concerts by well-known rock musicians in which music serves only to spread anti-Semitic propaganda. Well-known national and international musicians use their reach to spread their hatred of Jews or their admiration for Hitler. As a result, they show how widely and readily anti-Semitism is celebrated in pop culture.

The book was published by Verbrecher Verlag in autumn 2025.
https://www.verbrecherverlag.de/shop/lauter-hass-antisemitismus-als-popkulturelles-ereignis/

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