A concert in Central Park by the anti-Israel singer Kehlani was canceled on Monday after pressure from the New York City mayor’s office, though the notice of cancellation attributed the move to security concerns rather than objections to her public statements.

“We strongly and emphatically believe in artistic expression of all kinds,” said the City Parks Foundation, which had been slated to put on the show.

“However, the safety and security of our guests and artists is of the utmost importance, and in light of these concerns, the concert has been canceled.”

Kehlani, who was supposed to perform next month at a show called “Pride with Kehlani,” during the city’s LGBTQ Pride month, has said, “fuck Israel from the top of my lungs,” and praised “resistance in all of its forms” — frequently a euphemism for terrorism.

She has also referred to “Zionists” as “the scum of the earth,” and called to “DISMANTLE ISRAEL” and “ERADICATE ZIONISM.”

Last year, Kehlani put out a music video that flashed the message, “Long live the intifada,” using a word that refers, among other things, to several waves of deadly terrorism targeting Israeli civilians.

A top New York City official on Monday warned the City Parks Foundation that its license to put on the SummerStage concert series — which has run since 1986 — could be in jeopardy if it did not “promptly take steps” to address “security concerns” surrounding the show.

“We write to advise you that we have security concerns about this event, given the controversy surrounding Kehlani’s scheduled performance at Cornell University,” wrote First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro.

Cornell recently canceled Kehlani’s appearance at its annual Slope Day........

© The Times of Israel