Click image to download 2-sided PDF flyer
UK comedian Eddie Izzard is known for his opposition to apartheid South Africa. He played gigs for the Anti-Apartheid Movement in the 1980s. In 2016, as part of a charity fund-raising effort, he ran 27 marathons in 27 days to honour the 27 years Nelson Mandela spent in prison . And yet, despite pleas from fellow artists in the UK and Palestine, he is scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv on March 30, in breach of the Palestinian boycott which challenges Israel’s continuing Apartheid regime.
On Friday (March 17) campaigners from Artists for Palestine UK handed out leaflets and spoke to fans attending an Izzard gig at the Soho Theatre in central London. Many were shocked to hear that a performer admired for his principles seems intent on ignoring the call from Palestinian civil society, to refrain from doing “business as usual” with the state of Israel as long as Palestinian rights are denied.
Disappointed fans are calling on Izzard to take a stand by cancelling his gig in Tel Aviv, because Israel carries out many acts that are prohibited by the UN Apartheid Convention including:
- Forcible transfer of Palestinians to make way for illegal Israeli settlements
- Preventing Palestinians from returning to their homes and lands
- Systematic and severe deprivation of fundamental human rights of Palestinians based on their identity
- Denying Palestinians their right to freedom of movement and residence
- Murder, torture, unlawful imprisonment, especially of Palestnians living in Gaza
- Persecution of Palestinians because of their opposition to Apartheid
Since 2004 Palestinians, including artists and cultural workers, have called for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) as a non-violent way of putting pressure on Israel to address the legitimate grievances of the Palestinians and to end its apartheid policies.
International support
Thousands of artists around the world have pledged to show their solidarity with their Palestinian peers, including 1,200 UK artists who have pledged ‘…to accept neither professional invitations to Israel, nor funding, from any institutions linked to its government until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.’
Campaigners will be at the Soho Theatre again on Saturday evening, asking Eddie Izzard not to play Israel’s Sun City.
Eddie Izzard is appearing in Cardiff on March 20th, Edinburgh March 22nd and Manchester March 23rd. If you are planning to attend, please download a printable flyer to ask Izzard and his audience to take a stand.
UPDATE: Letter ‘From Israeli citizens to Eddie Izzard: Please do not take part in apartheid, please boycott Israel!’ 21.03.2017
Artists for Palestine UK 
Reblogged this on IPNOT GLOBAL.
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We need our comedians to speak up against oppression, ridicule the colonising powers, not legitimise them by perfoming in the heart Apartheid state Israël. Support justice and international law. Don’t play Tel Aviv.
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Dear Eddie Izzard,
Please read and see the facts on how Israel treats Palestinians. Look at the reports of mass punishments, demolitions, imprisonments, taking their very livelihoods, robbing them of their fertile lands.
Very sincerely from an exile who was not allowed to go back and join her family after finishing studies in UK.
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Come on Eddie, you’re better and more intelligent than this…
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Eddie – you are hilarious, but please stand with other artists, academics, unions, churches, Jewish community action groups, ethical businesses, prominent individuals, student organizations and millions of others who refuse to support apartheid regimes.
Israel has been involved with an illegal occupation for fifty years, denies basically captive Palestinians human rights and continues to steal their land with impunity. Remember that bit you did about Europeans coming to America and commenting about Indian traditions – something about a different notion about land ownership? You were referring to settler colonialism – it was wrong then and it’s doubly wrong with what’s going on in Palestine because we should know better by now.
Don’t let your fans down.
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