Outraged with music platforms like Spotify and the likes, netizens are calling out the streaming giants' recent step to remove Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf’s famous hit song “Ana Dammi Falastini” which means “My Blood is Palestinian”. The singer received an official email citing accusations of antisemitism as the reason for the removal of his song. The song has also been removed from Apple Music.
People took to social media to call the move “outrageous”. One user wrote, “Spotify removing ‘Dammi Falastini’ is insane. The absolute ridiculousness it takes to silence everything about us. Our words, our food, our music. Reinstate his song now.”
Another called this move a means to silence the voice of Palestinians: “‘Ana Dammi Falastini’ being removed from Spotify and Apple Music. Why are we being silenced?”
Who is Mohammed Assaf and what is his viral song "Ana Dammi Falastini" about?
Meanwhile, the singer who lives in Gaza since the age of 4, achieved stardom in 2013 when he won the popular show, Arab Idol. He took to Instagram and wrote, “That’s fine. It’s preserved in the hearts of all of those who are free and noble.” The song, “Ana Dammi Falastini” is hugely popular in Palestine and the neighbouring Arab countries. The song was released 8 years ago. Since then, it became an important symbol of national identity within the Palestinian community.
Ana Dammi Falastini
On their part, Spotify claims that the reason to remove the song was made by the distributor and not them. In a statement, the PR agency representing Spotify MENA, said, “Spotify aims to offer a wide range of music on our platform, but availability may vary over time and by country. The removal of some of Mohammed Assaf’s content was not determined by Spotify, but rather by the distributor. We anticipate its return in the near future and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
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