Leading figures, including Haim Saban and Sherry Lansing, condemn Ticketmaster for facilitating a Farrakhan event
Ticketmaster Under Fire Over Involvement in Louis Farrakhan's Saviours' Day Event
A letter signed by over 120 entertainment industry leaders, including Haim Saban, Sherry Lansing, and singer/songwriter Diane Warren, has been sent to Ticketmaster CEO Michael Rapino, urging him to reconsider selling tickets for Louis Farrakhan's upcoming Saviours' Day event. The event is scheduled to take place on February 26th at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
The letter, sent by the Coalition for a Fair and Tolerant Chicago (CFFP), highlights a series of antisemitic statements made by Farrakhan at past Saviours' Day events. In his 2017 and 2020 speeches, Farrakhan referred to Jewish people as 'Satan'.
The CFFP's Director, Ari Ingel, has labelled Farrakhan as one of the leading purveyors of antisemitism in America. The IHRA working definition of antisemitism, a guideline to help identify and combat anti-Jewish hate, has been referenced in the letter.
The letter states that Farrakhan has labeled Judaism a 'gutter religion', attributed pedophilia, homosexuality, and sex trafficking in America to Jewish religious writings, praised Hitler, referred to Jews as insects, and falsely claimed that Jews orchestrated and dominated the African slave trade. The ADL and the Southern Poverty Law Center have noted Farrakhan's views as incredibly dangerous.
The letter expresses great concern about Ticketmaster's involvement in the event, given these statements. Providing support for such hatred is not just unacceptable, but dangerous, as stated in the letter. The CCFP is disappointed with Ticketmaster's involvement in enabling Farrakhan's promulgation of hatred.
As of the time of writing, Rapino has not responded to the CCFP's request to reject ticket sales for the event and to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism. The controversy stems from Farrakhan's history of anti-Semitic and homophobic statements, and in 2020, he promoted violence against those who identify as Jews.
The leading ticketing platform in sports and entertainment, Ticketmaster, is under scrutiny for selling tickets to Farrakhan's upcoming Saviours' Day event. The letter urges Ticketmaster to reconsider and take a stand against hate speech and antisemitism.
Read also:
- Late-night host Lawrence O'Donnell responds to Jimmy Kimmel's departure with a discussion on a subject "Donald Trump doesn't wish us to examine"
- EU Member States cast their decisions
- Eighteen-Year-Old Speaks Out Against Lowering Voting Age to Sixteen
- King Charles's body language analyst dissects signs of apparent 'impatience' exhibited by Charles towards Trump
