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April Clare Welsh
17 April 2023, 11:37

Felix Hall steps down from NTS show after being accused of sending death threats and anti-Palestinian abuse

Several DJs and members of the music community have come forward with accusations

Felix Hall

Felix Hall has stepped down from his long-running NTS show after being accused of sending death threats and anti-Palestinian abuse to several DJs.

Hall — who is the son of the late Terry Hall of The Specials — has also seen a number of scheduled appearances cancelled following accusations of "bigotry" and "violent zionist messages" from several DJs including New York-based artist Rainstick (aka Anthony Lowe), as Mixmag reports.

Lowe shared a since-deleted post on Instagram last Tuesday (11th April), which accuses Hall of sending “completely unprovoked, violent zionist messages, including vile death threats against my family... I learned that he also menaced at least two other people — female musicians of colour — with zionist messages, and that this may be a pattern of anti-Palestinian behaviour,” Lowe wrote.

Lowe shared a statement with Mixmag in which he said: "I have never before had a personal issue with Felix Hall. The issue is the bigotry, racism and violence he has displayed (and then tried to hide), and the greater dangers they represent.”

Hall also responded to a post from Tunisian DJ Marwa Belhaj Youssef with an Israel flag emoji. Youssef, who shared a screenshot of the message, told Mixmag she has "never had a conversation with Hall" and was "totally shocked" by the encounter. "He is a danger for this scene which should be a safe space for all of us," she said.

On Wednesday (12th April), NTS Radio tweeted: "We shared this yesterday on Discord but for wider visibility, NTS was made aware of the messages from Felix Hall over the weekend and obviously those sentiments and behaviour are completely unacceptable... We’ve agreed with Felix that he’ll be stepping down from his show. NTS doesn’t tolerate any forms of racism or bigotry."

Hall shared a response on his Instagram profile, which has since been deactivated. He said that he is “struggling with mental health” and had been grieving the loss of his father, who passed away in December. “An unhealthy relationship with alcohol is also unfortunately present, yet I am absolutely determined to both address and change this in every way possible,” he wrote.

“I am greatly sorry as to how my actions have impacted others, and genuinely would like to make amends. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to talk at any stage," he added.

Cairo-based DJ and NTS host Nihal called Hall’s apology “an insult to people who have experienced grief and who suffer from mental health problems...The non-apology that was given manages to somehow frame Felix as the victim and dangerously weaponizes mental health and grief as reasons behind racist and violent behaviour,” she wrote.

London-based DJ Manuka Honey also shared a statement on Twitter, speaking up about her experiences with Hall. She called out his "harmful behaviour" and explained that it "is devastating yet unfortunately unsurprising to me", alleging that Hall “refused to perform before me on a line-up claiming to be a ‘better DJ’, and rescinded booking me after I refused to sleep with him".

GALA festival has removed Hall from its 2023 edition, which is taking place next month, while French label Few Crackles has taken Hall's ‘Few Crackles Riddims’ mixtape collection down from its Bandcamp. Writing on Instagram, they said: “We strongly condemn the violent, racist and zionist slurs: there’s absolutely no excuses for such behaviour."

Read the full report via Mixmag.

Image via NTS Radio