Boy George faces fury from pro-Palestine activists as he releases new song supporting Israel

Titled We Will Dance Again, the track features a pop-reggae production style similar to that of some of Culture Club’s earlier work.

The phrase itself has become a symbol of resilience and recovery among Israelis following the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, and also served as the name of a 2024 documentary about the atrocity.

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A spoken message in Hebrew closes the song.

The opening lyrics directly challenge accusations of genocide in Gaza, with Boy George singing: “You say genocide, I say war. When you’re attacked, that’s what the army is for.”

He goes on to acknowledge the brutality of the conflict with lyrics such as: “Does it get ugly? You bet it does”

The singer also references a desire to “kill every last one of us.”

#Shalom pic.twitter.com/0BfHIrThzO

— Boy George (@BoyGeorge) July 26, 2026

The song explicitly invokes the events of the Nova music festival, where 344 civilians and 34 security personnel were killed and 44 people taken hostage.

“Young girls raped against trees, Murdered brutally, For the crime of dancing,” he sings.

Boy George also takes aim at fellow musicians who have voiced support for Palestine, describing them as “Musicians holding flags, mouthing like sheep, Propaganda fuelled by the internet feels so weak.”

The chorus also sets out Boy George’s stance clearly as he says: “If you’re ever confused, I stand with the Jews.”

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Though not Jewish himself, the 65-year-old singer, born George Alan O’Dowd, has maintained deep ties to Jewish communities since his teenage years.

“I have many Jewish friends, whom I’ve known since I was 15 or 16 years old,” he said earlier this year. “Are people asking me, as someone with principles, to turn my back on my Jewish friends? That is not going to happen. It will never happen.”

From Culture Club’s earliest days, he wore the Star of David publicly, and in the video for Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? he sported a shirt bearing the Hebrew words “Tarbut Aguda.”

He also opposed the cultural boycott of Israel in 2017, performing with Culture Club in Tel Aviv, and in 2024 was among more than 400 artists who signed an open letter backing Israel’s Eurovision participation.

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His involvement with Israel’s cultural circles extended to the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, where he collaborated with Sennit to represent San Marino, though the entry was eliminated at the semi-final stage.

Following the knife attack in Golders Green in April that left two Jewish men injured, Boy George publicly urged solidarity, saying: “We need to make our Jewish community know we support them.”

Following the release of the song on social media, Boy George returned to X to suggest the track isn’t “pro-Israel” but rather “pro-peace”.

Boy George received praise for the track from several Israeli supporters and Jewish commentators, including Disturbed frontman David Draiman, journalist Nicole Lampert, and political pundit Hen Mazzig.

I call it ‘pro peace!

— Boy George (@BoyGeorge) July 27, 2026

However, he also faced a fierce backlash from pro-Palestinian activists and commentators.

An X account by the name of Socialist Voice penned: “I have loved Boy George since my childhood, which dates back more than 40 years.

“Any respect I had has now gone. I never thought Boy George would turn out to be a genocide denier. Another one who has sold their soul for Israel.”

Former Member of the Scottish Parliament, Tommy Sheridan, was also among the dissenters. “Disgraceful and disgusting. Hang your head in shame George O’Dowd,” he said.