The Spanish government has condemned the decision of a reggae festival in Valencia to cancel a concert by American-Jewish musician Matisyahu after he rejected a demand to state his position on a Palestinian state as a condition to his participation.

The cancellation of Matisyahu at the week-long Rototom Sunsplash festival - following pressure from the anti-Israel BDS (Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions) group - prompted protests by Jewish groups.

Spain said it rejected boycott campaigns and any sign of anti-Semitism, while reiterating its support for an independent Palestinian state through bilateral negotiations.

“Imposing a public declaration [from Matisyahu] puts into question the principles of non-discrimination on which all plural and diverse societies are based,” Spanish foreign ministry officials said in a statement.

The Spanish Constitution forbids discrimination on the grounds of “birth, race, sex, religion, opinion, or any other personal or social condition or circumstance.”

Matisyahu, who fuses reggae, hip-hop and rock with Jewish influences in his songs, had been due to perform at the festival next Saturday.

In a statement published on its website, the festival spoke of its history of "sensitivity regarding Palestine, its people and the occupation of their territories by Israel." In their view, Matisyahu's inability or unwillingness to "clearly declare himself regarding the war and in particular the right of the Palestinian people to have their own state" directly influenced their decision to drop him from the lineup.

The Spanish government declared its “rejection of any anti-Semitic action,” stating that Spanish officials understand the angry reaction of spokespeople for Jewish organizations. Daily newspaper El Pais reported that Jewish groups are studying the possibility of a legal response against festival organizers.

For World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald S. Lauder who expressed “outrage” and “utter bewilderment” and at the festival’s decision and urged the Spanish government to condemn it, “this is a clear instance of anti-Semitism, and nothing else.”

Lauder added: “Matisyahu is an American Jew. More importantly, like everybody else in a free and democratic society, he not only has a right to express his views – whether you agree with them or not — but he also has every right not to have the repugnant views of the festival organizers imposed on him. He is a musician who has been denied the opportunity to play his planned gig at a European reggae festival purely because he is Jewish and because he refuses to side with the vicious and bigoted BDS movement.’’

In a statement, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) National Director Jonathan A.Greenblatt asked : “Was a Jewish musician singled out, based on his religion, to undergo a political litmus test?”.

He added that ‘’this appears to be a clear case of anti-Semitic discrimination - which is illegal in Spain - and we expect Spain to uphold its non-discrimination laws.”

“A local BDS group pushed for the boycott of Matisyahu, and the festival’s action provides another example of a clearly anti-Semitic result from the BDS Movement,” Greenblatt said.

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS) aims to isolate and demonize Israel and deny the Jewish people their right to self-determination and a homeland.

ADL wrote to Javier Moliner Gargallo, President of the County Council of Castellon, which had provided financial support to the reggae festival, to ask him to insist that the festival reverse its discriminatory decision or have its financial support revoked.

An ADL recent poll in 100 countries found that 29 percent of those surveyed in Spain harbor anti-Semitic attitudes.