The opera "The Death of Klinghoffer" that premiered at the The Metropolitan Opera in New York City is a reminder that freedom of speech comes with responsibility, actor, writer and producer Tony Lo Bianco tells Newsmax.
"We all have the freedom and right to express our art," Lo Bianco told J.D. Hayworth and Francesca Page on "America's Forum" on
Newsmax TV Monday. "However, we have a responsibility with that right."
John Adams' "The Death of Klinghoffer" tells the story of the killing of wheelchair-bound Leon Klinghoffer in 1985 because he was Jewish. Klinghoffer was a passenger on an Italian cruise ship when it was hijacked by four members of the terrorist group, the Palestinian Liberation Front.
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The premiere brought out
protesters that included former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former New York Gov. George Pataki, because they believe it takes a sympathetic view of the terrorists.
Lo Bianco contends that "with the ISIS situation going on, with our country, the situation that it is going through right now, it's very insensitive to put a show on that explains or is sympathetic to the enemy that killed this poor, innocent man just because he was Jewish.
"We are told to be politically correct, which is a word I rather hate, not to speak of Muhammad and not say anything about him, everybody seems to be very frightened to do something about that," he said.
"But you can do anything to the Jews, you can do anything to the Italians, you can do anything to other nationalities and nothing is said," he added. "It's tasteless."
Giuliani said at the protests on Oct. 20 that "the truth should be told that this opera didn't create, but it certainly contributed to, a romanticized version of the Palestinian cause and a romanticized version of terrorism,"
CBS New York reported.
In addition, he said that "it's a factually inaccurate and extraordinarily damaging piece."
Lo Bianco said that "Rudy is right on, so is Gov. Pataki."
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