November 28, 2012
Petitions call on Stevie Wonder to cancel Friends of IDF gig
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Stevie Wonder sings during an election campaign rally for U.S. President Barack Obama in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Nov. 4. Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters
An online petition calling on Stevie Wonder to cancel his performance at a fundraiser for the Israel Defense Forces has garnered more than 3,600 signatures.
The petition was launched more than a day ago on the change.org website.
Wonder is scheduled to headline the Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces annual gala in Los Angeles on Dec. 6. The event raises millions of dollars annually to support the Israeli military.
"You were arrested in 1985 protesting South African Apartheid, now we ask you: please remember that apartheid is apartheid, whether it comes from White Afrikaaner settlers of South Africa or from Jewish Israelis in Israel," the petition reads. "Desmond Tutu has recognized that Israel’s Apartheid is worse than South Africa’s -- will you stand with us against apartheid and cancel your performance at the IDF fundraiser."
A second petition, launched by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, calls on Wonder to "(p)lease continue your legacy of speaking out for the oppressed. Please be a 'full-time lover' of justice by standing on the right side of history and canceling your performance for the Israeli army."
