According to an official statement shared by Spotify’s spokesperson, the streaming platform is not responsible for the removal of Palestinian artist Mohammed Assaf’s beloved hit Dammi Falastini.
Over the weekend, users were surprised to see that the hit song was missing from both Spotify and Apple Music, sparking widespread backlash and criticism. In a statement to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the former Arab Idol winner expressed his shock at the removal of his signature song from the popular streaming platforms alleging that he received an official email stating that the song was deleted due to its supposed “anti-Semitism” despite not containing any problematic or hateful lyrics. If you ask us, if Spotify is going to be removing music based on inciting hate towards a certain group, then they should have certainly started with Roman Schreier’s EDM remix of Erika, a marching song that was used by the German military, primarily during the Nazi regime, but we digress.
Following the song’s removal from Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and Tidal, a number of users took to Twitter and Instagram to express their anger and frustration with the move, with many accusing the music platforms of “silencing” Palestinian voices.
However, on Monday, a spokesperson for Spotify claimed that the reason behind the removal of the 2015 song “was not determined by Spotify, but rather by the distributor,” as per the statement shared with Mille.
“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 apologize for any inconvenience caused,” said a spokesperson for the Swedish streaming platform, hoping to clear up the confusion. Apple Music has yet to comment on the issue.
Dammi Falastini, which translates to “my blood is Palestinian” is widely known as a patriotic Palestinian song and a symbol of hope, and is frequently played to celebrate Palestinian culture. It regained popularity in 2021 during the social media movement against Israel’s occupation of Sheikh Jarrah.
Whether the song was removed due to copyright issues or not, we sincerely hope that the streaming platforms decide to bring it back ASAP. In the meantime, you can still listen to the song on Arabic streaming platform Anghami, where it is still available.
