Boy George under fire over pro-Israel song “We Will Dance Again”

Boy George has found himself at the centre of a fierce controversy after posting a new song titled “We Will Dance Again” on his X and Instagram profiles, shared under the Hebrew title “עוד נרקוד” (“Od Nirkod”) and accompanied by the word “Shalom”. The track, which is not currently available on major streaming platforms, takes an openly pro-Israel stance and disputes the use of the term “genocide” in reference to Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The title echoes one of the slogans that became a symbol of Israeli resilience following the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 on the Nova music festival, in which hundreds of people were killed and numerous attendees taken hostage. The same phrase was also used as the title of a 2024 documentary dedicated to that tragedy.

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The lyrics

Boy George's stance is explicit from the opening lines: “You say genocide / I say war / When you’re attacked / That’s what the army is for”, meaning: “You say genocide, I say war. When you're attacked, that's what an army is for”. In the lyrics, the Culture Club frontman thus presents the Israeli military operation as a response to the 7 October attacks and rejects the accusations of genocide leveled at the Jewish state.
The singer also criticizes artists who have expressed solidarity with the Palestinian cause, accusing them of having selective memory and of being swayed by online propaganda: “You condemn the Jews, with selective memory/ Musicians holding flags, mouthing like sheep/ Propaganda fuelled by the Internet feels so weak”. In other passages he recalls the violence carried out during the Hamas attack, citing the rapes and killings that took place on 7 October.

Reactions online

The release of the track has, however, triggered a fierce wave of backlash on social media. Many users have accused Boy George of ignoring the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and of dismissing the findings of numerous international organisations. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and several United Nations commissions have indeed argued that there is evidence pointing to genocide or other serious international crimes in Israel's military operations — accusations that Israel continues to firmly reject. Criticism online has been particularly harsh. One user wrote: “Don't you know that more than 20,000 children have been killed, that a population has been subjected to ethnic cleansing, and that over 80% of infrastructure has been destroyed? Shame on you”. Another described the song as “repulsive Zionist propaganda designed to justify the massacre of Palestinians”. Some also attacked the English artist personally, with one comment reading: “Horrible music, horrible person. You've destroyed any goodwill anyone might have had for you”, while another disappointed fan wrote: “He's sold his soul. His Irish relatives who fought for freedom would be horrified”.
Among the comments, references also resurfaced to the singer's past legal troubles: several users recalled the sentence handed down to Boy George in 2009, after he was found guilty of falsely imprisoning and assaulting an escort in his London flat, an offence for which he served a prison term.
Still, there was no shortage of positive reactions from some fans. “Thank you for your moral clarity and for making your voice heard”, one wrote, while another commented: “As an Israeli artist, I've lost the courage to speak out. I'm truly grateful to you, because the attacks have been too much to bear”.

Previous statements

This is not the first time Boy George has publicly spoken out on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In a recent interview with the Telegraph, he spoke of the strong personal bond he feels with the Jewish community. Following the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green last April, he had also publicly expressed his solidarity, stating: “We need to let our Jewish community know that we support them”.
Just a few months ago, however, the singer had taken a more nuanced stance. Ahead of his appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest with San Marino, responding to controversy over the boycott of the event by some countries opposed to Israel's participation, he had said: “Are they asking me, a man with principles, to turn my back on my Jewish friends? That will never happen. I've worn the Star of David since the start of my career… I feel very connected to the Jewish people. I'm not necessarily tied to Israel. I don't have a firm opinion on that. But the mission of music is to bring people together”.
With “We Will Dance Again”, however, that position now appears to have shifted decisively: the new track represents explicit support for Israel's cause and marks a clear stance on one of the most divisive issues in current world affairs.

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