Carlos Santana’s faux pas: worse than just ignoring BDS

Guitarist Carlos Santana

Many artists have responded to the call from BDS activists to refrain from performing in Tel Aviv. This call is an integral part of the Palestinian economic, cultural and academic boycott of ‘Israel’. Unfortunately, there also have been many artists who have rejected the call, and went and performed there anyway. But what renowned guitarist Carlos Santana did, really takes the biscuit.

So, what’s the difference with Santana?

You may be wondering what sets Santana apart from the vast majority of other BDS-rejecting artists. Well, you can hear it from him in his own words, but let me sum it up for you. The main difference is that those other artists had the decency to be quiet about it, and just cash in. To a certain degree it is digestible, that some people don’t want to sacrifice any income for moral causes. But no, not Santana.

Carlos preferred to turn it around, and make himself look like the moral hero of the story. He tells the activists to ‘stop whining, complaining and bitching, and do something constructive‘. He then brags about how he is doing that by donating money to ‘Palestinian and Israeli children’. Watch it here. Have a barf bag ready, if you want to keep things clean around you.

Judas and the 30 pieces of silver

There you go. Carlos Santana believes he can be compared to John Lennon and Bob Marley, and these are his own words, as you were able to hear. What kind of cringe-worthy arrogance is that? With what he said in that clip, he can’t even consider to be worth one of their toenail clippings. They would turn around in their graves at this, no doubt.

He has sold out his soul for 30 pieces of silver, and much worse than what other BDS-violators did, he tries to sound moral about it. Really, Carlos? Money to ‘Palestinian and Israeli children’? What if you had just shut your mouth, instead of sending the message that there is no injustice going on whatsoever in Palestine?

I’ll tell you what. We would still listen to your records. Many of us would have forgiven you for your faux pas. But now you are Judas, and a person like Judas can only be forgiven by God Almighty. Or Jesus. Not by us.

Exit Santana.