Xavier Naidoo faces harsh clap back over video surfaces of him singing apparent anti-migrant lyrics. A German broadcaster demanded he come clean about the allegations citing he gives ‘clear answers’.
For years, Naidoo — a 48-year-old German pop singer of South African parents and a judge on RTL’s talent-seeking show “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” — has been accused of propagating racism and far-right sentiment with his lyrics.
Naidoo retaliated by claiming he is against exclusion and hatred.
After a video circulating on social media appeared to show him singing xenophobic lyrics in an apparent reference to the refugees and migrants German broadcaster RTL ended up having to distance itself from the famous pop singer.
In the video, Naidoo can be seen singing lyrics, such as: “What if almost every day there’s a murder where the guest steals a life from the host. I have to choose harsh words. Because I don’t want anyone to torture my people. If they do, they’ll have to deal with me.”
The commercial broadcaster confirmed that Naidoo had been removed from the show’s panel after the latest video that was made by musician himself that went viral.
“We distance ourselves from any form of racism,” RTL said in a German-language tweet. “We expect clear answers from Xavier Naidoo.”
Germany’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, said in January that lyrics from artists such as Naidoo and rapper Kollegah have contributed to an acceptance of openly racist expression under the guise of provocation and free speech.
Naidoo rejected the allegations claiming he believes that those fleeing war should receive assistance and solidarity. He also said in a Facebook post that read, ‘I have been campaigning against exclusion and racial hatred for years with deep conviction. Love and respect are the only way for social coexistence.’
Naidoo added that he has been wronged and that he just wanted to be “vigilant” against “attacks on social interaction”, because his family had come as a guest to Germany.
However, several videos that provide evidence of his sentiments shown have seen him choose ‘a similar direction’ that reflects anti-migrant thoughts.
Naidoo has courted controversy in the past. In 2015, he was chosen to represent Germany at the Eurovision contest but his candidacy was later withdrawn due to protests against his nomination. He is viewed in far-right circles, according to German left-leaning newspaper TAZ