Over one hundred high-profile artists and public figures are expressing dismay at political repression against the BDS movement for Palestinian rights, slamming “attempts in Germany to impose political conditions” on artists such as Talib Kweli (pictured). In an open letter published in the Guardian (and copied below), a broad range of artists from all fields and genres signed but also figures from the field of human rights including: Index on Censorship, Patrisse Cullors co-founder of Black Lives Matter, human rights lawyer and former judge Sir Stephen Sedley, and philosopher Judith Butler.
“We are shocked that Open Source Festival, Düsseldorf has disinvited black American rapper Talib Kweli, leading to the cancellation of his Germany tour, after he refused to denounce the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights.
Attempts in Germany to impose political conditions on artists who support Palestinian rights, particularly targeting black, POC and queer artists, comprise a shameful trend of censorship, anti-Palestinian repression, and attacks on freedom of conscience.
We hold diverse views on BDS, but we concur with 240 Jewish and Israeli scholars who recently wrote, “the three main goals of BDS – ending the occupation, full equality to the Arab citizens of Israel and the right of return of Palestinian refugees – adhere to international law”.
Dr. Sara Roy of Harvard University, a leading Middle East scholar, recently addressed members of the German parliament: “I lost a large extended family to fascism and racism. By endorsing the motion that alleges that BDS is anti-Semitic—regardless of one’s position on BDS—you are criminalizing the right to free speech and dissent and those who choose to exercise it, which is exactly how fascism takes root. You also trivialize and dishonor the real meaning of anti-Semitism.”
We firmly oppose all forms of racism and discrimination, including anti-blackness, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia and sexism. We also agree with the 200 Palestinian civil society organisations who responded to the Bundestag’s declaration that equated BDS with bigotry: “Denying Palestinians the right to non-violently advocate for freedom, justice and equality is anti-Palestinian and puts the Bundestag at odds with international law, with universal democratic principles and even with the formal position of the European Union”.
Supporting a nonviolent struggle for freedom, justice and equality, for Palestinians or others, should never be conflated with bigotry. It’s a right. For many, it’s also a moral duty.”
Signed
Khalid Abdalla, actor, filmmaker
Tunde Adebimpe, musician
Aviad Albert, musician, linguist
Tariq Ali, writer
Nir Alon, visual artist
Monifa Bandele, human rights activist
David Banner, musician, producer, actor, activist
Daphna Baram, comedian, director Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions UK
Ben UFO, DJ
The Black Madonna, DJ, producer
Nicholas Blincoe, writer
Judith Butler, philosopher
David Calder, actor
Iggor Cavalera, musician
Julie Christie, actor
Caryl Churchill, playwright
Ciel, DJ, producer
Scott Cohen, music industry executive
Ben Cook, director, LUX Artists’ Moving Image
Molly Crabapple, artist, writer
Patrisse Cullors, artist, co-founder Black Lives Matter
Liam Cunningham, actor
Selma Dabbagh, writer
Dror Dayan, filmmaker
Laurence Dreyfus, director, Phantasm Viol Consort
Michael Eric Dyson, author, minister, professor
Theo Ellis, musician
Eve Ensler, playwright, activist
Brian Eno, composer, producer
Jodie Evans, film producer
Gareth Evans, curator, producer
Anat Even, filmmaker
Chiara Figone, Archive Books/Kabinet/Journal
Saeed Taji Farouky, filmmaker
Peter Gabriel, musician, founder, Womad festival
Tom Gilroy, actor, director
Jodie Ginsberg, CEO, Index on Censorship
Ariel Gold, human rights activist
Ohal Grietzer, composer
LisaGay Hamilton, actor
Marc Lamont Hill, author, activist
HowNosm, street artists
Chace Infinite, artist, entrepreneur
Oli Isaacs, artist manager
Aki Kaurismäki, film director, screenwriter
Brigid Keenan, writer
Reem Kelani, singer, musicologist
Robin Kelly, historian, academic
A.L. Kennedy, writer
Peter Kennard, artist
Steve Kettley, musician, composer
Naomi Klein, writer
Paul Laverty, screenwriter
Mason Leaver-Yap, associate curator, KW Institute for Contemporary Art
Mike Leigh, writer, director
Laima Leyton, musician
Ken Loach, director
Liz Lochhead, poet, playwright
Sabrina Mahfouz, writer
Jens Maier-Rothe, curator, film producer
Miriam Margolyes, actor
Kika Markham, actor, writer
Yann Martel, writer
Francesca Martinez, comedian
Ahmed Masoud, writer, director
Pauline Melville, writer
Avi Mograbi, filmmaker
Jessica Care Moore, poet, author, publisher
Thurston Moore, musician
Tom Morello, musician
Ali Shaheed Muhammad, rapper, producer, DJ
Laura Mulvey, filmmaker, writer
Joff Oddie, musician
Jonathan Ofir, conductor
Mutulu “M-1” Olugbala, musician, activist
David Oppenheim, artist, musician
Maxine Peake, actor
Cat Phillipps, artist
Danielle Alma Ravitzki, musician, visual artist
Boots Riley, director, musician, activist
Ben Ronen, visual artist
Rrose, musician
Mark Ruffalo, actor
Gavin Rayna Russom, composer
Michal Sapir, writer, musician
Sate, artist
James Schamus, screenwriter, producer, director
Stephen Sedley, human rights lawyer
Itamar Shapira, musician
Shain Shapiro, music industry executive
Eyal Sivan, filmmaker
Gillian Slovo, writer
Christopher Somes-Charlton, artist manager
Ahdaf Soueif, writer
Lia Tarachansky, journalist, filmmaker
Eyal Vexler, cultural producer, curator
Violet, electronic musician
Roger Waters, musician
Jonathan Watkins, director, Ikon Gallery
Eyal Weizman, director, Forensic Architecture
Penny Woolcock, screenwriter, filmmaker
Robert Wyatt, musician
Young Fathers, band
Artists for Palestine UK 
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