Boy George at Nova festival site: “What scared me most was seeing people deny what happened”

British singer Boy George visited the Nova festival site on Tuesday, joining massacre survivors and community founders for a press conference ahead of two performances in Israel.

“I saw on television what happened on October 7, and it frightened me,” he said. “What frightened me even more was seeing people who weren’t connected to what happened deny it, saying it wasn’t true and that it was made up.”

The singer said he often writes about the subject because he finds it easier to express himself that way.

Former hostage Omer Shem Tov, who spent 505 days in captivity in Gaza, said it was only his second visit to the site since returning home.

“On October 7, I came here simply to dance and enjoy myself with friends, to be happy and free. I never imagined for a moment that this place would change my life,” he said.

Shem Tov described the significance of returning as a free man and welcoming an artist whose music has touched millions.

“This is exactly what this place was meant to be—a place where music brings people together,” he said. “Today, I want us to remember everyone who came here and never made it home.”

Thanking Boy George for coming to Israel, he added: “I think that in today’s world, it takes a lot of courage to stand with Israel and the Jewish people around the world. And even more courage not to settle for words but to come here.”

Ofir Amir, a Nova festival founder, massacre survivor and co-founder of the Nova Tribe Community Association, said the festival had always been more than a party.

“Nova was a community. A home. A place where people from all backgrounds, religions, and walks of life came to do one simple thing—dance,” he said.

Amir recalled being shot in both legs while trying to escape, then hiding for hours before being rescued. His wife, Lior, was nine months pregnant with their first daughter.

“There were moments when I was sure I would never get to meet my daughter,” he said. “I imagined Lior raising our daughter alone.”

He said those experiences had created a responsibility to commemorate the victims, give bereaved families a voice and support survivors. According to Amir, more than 700,000 people in 11 cities worldwide have visited the Nova 06:29 exhibition.

“People arrive with what they’ve heard and seen in the news, sometimes with preconceived notions, sometimes without really understanding what happened here, and leave with an entirely different understanding,” he said. “Because suddenly, they’re not seeing headlines. They’re seeing human beings.”

Amir said the community’s connections with Boy George and other international artists were part of its efforts to preserve the stories of October 7 through music.

Boy George arrived in Israel by private jet and was welcomed at the Fattal Lounge at Ben Gurion Airport by Guy Besser, co-owner of Live Nation Israel, which is organizing his performances, and Sylvan Adams, president of World Jewish Congress Israel, who said: “Welcome to Israel, we deeply appreciate your friendship, and your understanding that these are challenging times for Israel and the Jewish people. Since October 7th, we have been engaged in a struggle against the forces of radical Islam, led by Iran and Qatar. This is a battle between light and darkness, between good and evil, and between freedom and oppression. We are on the front line of that war. But, when we see the violent riots currently inflaming Europe, everyone should understand that this is also a war against the entire free world.”

“I am here with you — out of love, out of a belief in peace and out of a desire for us to dance, live and celebrate together again,” the singer said at the reception.

Discussing his song “We Will Dance Again,” Boy George said conversations with longtime Jewish friends in Britain had helped motivate him to speak out.

“It’s insane that they’re feeling so unsafe, powerless and frightened, and I just felt like I needed to say something,” he said.

Boy George is scheduled to perform at Menora Mivtachim Arena on November 4, with special guest Ivri Lider. A second performance on November 7, featuring special guest DJ Ofer Nissim, will be dedicated to the Nova community and their families.