Norwegian Rapper Who Said ‘F*** Jews’ Was Criticizing Israel, Prosecutors Say
Norwegian rapper Kaveh. Image by Martin Solhaugen/YouTube
(JTA) — A Norwegian rapper who cursed Jews while performing at an event in Oslo promoting multiculturalism will not be charged with hate speech because his words may have been criticism of Israel, prosecutors said.
Kaveh Kholardi said “f***|ing Jews” on stage at an event last year for which he was hired by the city.
Tor-Aksel Busch, Norway’s director of public prosecutions — a title equivalent to attorney general – rejected legal action last week, the news site Document.no reported Sunday.
Pro-Israel activists had filed a police complaint but it was dismissed. Busch rejected their appeal, explaining that whereas what Kholardi said “seems to be targeting Jews, it can however also be said to express dissatisfaction with the policies of the State of Israel.”
At the concert, the rapper wished Muslims a happy Eid al-Fitr holiday and acknowledged Christian listeners. He did not mention Israel.
On June 10, 2018, five days before the concert, Kholardi wrote on Twitter “f***|ing Jews are so corrupt.”
The pro-Israel group MIFF, a Norwegian acronym for With Israel for Peace, which was involved in the initial complaint against Kholardi, called Busch’s decision “alarming” because he “finds ambiguity where there is none,” MIFF board member Jan Benjamin Rodner wrote.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
