What's behind removal of Palestinian Mohammed Assaf's song from Spotify?
Spotify says the Gazan artist’s song was removed from its streaming service by "the distributor." Social media users call the act discriminatory and part of the ongoing censorship of Palestinian content masked under the guise of eliminating anti-Israeli sentiment.
Famed Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf said his song "My Blood Is Palestinian" was removed from digital audio platforms Spotify and Apple Music on Sunday due to alleged anti-Israel content.
Spotify released a statement saying it wasn't them who decided to remove the Gazan artist’s song. Still, social media users are calling the act discriminatory and a product of the ongoing censorship of Palestinian content masked under the guise of eliminating anti-Israeli sentiment.
What happened: Gazan singer Mohammed Assaf said on Sunday he received an email from Spotify stating that his song was removed from the digital music and podcast platform for “inciting against Israel,” he told London-based news site Al Araby Al Jadeed (The New Arab) in an interview.
"I checked my official page on the Spotify and Apple Music platforms and was surprised that the song 'Ana Dammi Falastini' ("My Blood Is Palestinian") was deleted," he said.
