Primal Scream under major fire after what they showed on screen during gig
Primal Scream have been accused of antisemitism over imagery displayed at a London gig, with the venue saying they were 'appalled' by the incident.
The Scottish rock band performed at Camden's Roundhouse, with their set including images combining both the Jewish Star of David and the Nazi swastika at one point.
During a performance of the song 'Swastika Eyes', images (which LADbible has chosen not to include) depicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as Keir Starmer and Donald Trump, with a combined Star of David/swastika image over their eyes flashed up behind them on screen.
The segment ended with the message 'our Government is complicit in genocide’.
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Frontman Bobby Gillespie has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli government and the war in Gaza, which a United Nations commission of inquiry labelled a 'genocide' back in September, while the 1999 song was written as a criticism of Western foreign policy.
The inclusion of the image in the band's set has caused major backlash online and among fans, leading to the band being accused of antisemitism.
Jewish charity Community Security Trust has released a statement confirming they had reported the band to the police and called on the venue to conduct an investigation into how the images were included.
"Entwining a Star of David with a swastika implies that Jews are Nazis and risks encouraging hatred of Jews," a spokesperson for the charity said.
“There needs to be an urgent investigation by the venue and the promoter about how this happened, and we have reported this to the police."
Meanwhile pro-Israel advocacy group Creative Community for Peace said they were 'disgusted' by the image in a statement posted to X.
"The Star of David is a sacred symbol of Jewish identity; the swastika is the emblem of a genocidal regime responsible for the murder of six million Jews. To merge these two symbols is an act of profound malice, desecration, and cruelty. It is antisemitism in its starkest form," read the group's statement.
Meanwhile a spokesperson for The Roundhouse has since confirmed the images were included without the venue's knowledge, adding that they were 'appalled' by the incident.
"Acts of hatred, discrimination or prejudice of any kind are entirely unacceptable and have no place in our community or spaces. The safety of our staff and gig-going audiences remains of paramount importance to us," a statement from the venue read, per The Guardian.
"We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and remain committed to ensuring that our spaces are places where everyone feels secure, respected and valued."
LADbible Group has approached Primal Scream and Metropolitan Police for comment.
Brenna Cooper