How to Take Action for Palestine as a Charity
A guide: How to take action for Palestine as an arts charity
It’s a myth that registered charities in the UK are prohibited from undertaking work that is political.
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Palestine
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Hundreds of Artists Condemn the Royal Academy of Arts’ Anti-Palestinian Censorship
Royal Academicians Jock McFadyen, Rana Begum, Vanessa Jackson, Tim Shaw, David Nash, Helen Sear, David Mach and Goshka Macuga are among hundreds of arts professionals condemning the Royal Academy of Arts’ anti-Palestinian censorship after it removed two artworks from its Young Artists’ Summer Show. In an open letter published today by Artists for Palestine UK, the…
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Boycott called off as Bristol’s Arnolfini apologises for anti-Palestinian censorship
The boycott of an iconic British arts venue has ended after it apologised for its anti-Palestinian censorship. The Arnolfini in Bristol said it was “truly sorry” for cancelling film and poetry events curated by Bristol Palestine Film Festival in November last year, and committed platforming Palestinian voices.
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Olivia Colman among 1000+ artists accusing art institutions of censorship on Palestine
More than 1,300 artists, including Academy Award winning Olivia Colman, Olivier Award winners Harriet Walter and Juliet Stevenson, BAFTA winners Aimee Lou Wood and Siobhán McSweeney, Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You), Susanne Wokoma (Enola Holmes), Youseff Kerkour (Napoleon), Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls, Bridgerton) and Lolly Adefope (Ghosts, Loki), have launched a letter addressed to the arts and culture sector, that accuses cultural institutions across Western countries of:
“repressing, silencing and stigmatising Palestinian voices and perspectives”.
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Reflections on violence, oppression and a just peace
Artists for Palestine UK redoubles our commitment to fighting for justice, respect and dignity for all people. In what follows, we share statements by international organisations that remind us of the context of the events which we are all now witnessing. We hope this will help to illuminate the root cause of the violence so that we may formulate responses that are grounded in the ethics of genuine care.
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Leading artists oppose Barbican’s partnership with apartheid Israeli embassy
More than fifty artists, including poet and writer Benjamin Zephaniah, actor Miriam Margolyes, DJ The Blessed Madonna and Turner Prize co-winning artist Tai Shani have called on London arts venue the Barbican Centre to end its partnership with the embassy of Israel.
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Campaign to silence rapper and campaigner Lowkey reaches new low
The Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival, a trade union-organised ‘celebration of solidarity’, disinvited the pro-Palestinian artist following behind-the-scenes pressure.
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Emma Watson support for Palestine: Israel advocates increasingly desperate as public figures speak out
When those with the public profile of Emma Watson speak out, it becomes all the harder for apartheid’s advocates to whitewash long-standing injustice. We encourage others in a similar position to follow her example: their words will make a difference.
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Leading writers support Sally Rooney decision to refuse publication in Israel
Seventy prominent writers, poets and playwrights from several continents, have signed a letter endorsing Sally Rooney’s decision to turn down an offer with an Israel publishing house, describing it as: “an exemplary response to the mounting injustices inflicted on Palestinians”.
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Thousands of artists call for an end to complicity with Israeli apartheid
It is as if a dam has burst. The last few days have seen an unprecedented outpouring of solidarity with Palestinians from artists and cultural organisations around the world. Half a century ago, there was massive support for a cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa. Now, artists and cultural workers are mobilising on a similar scale against Israel’s system of apartheid, calling variously for boycotts, practical acts of solidarity with Palestinians and, in particular, an end to co-operation with cultural organisations that are complicit with apartheid.
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Artists stand with Ken Loach and against McCarthyism
We are deeply troubled to learn of a McCarthyite campaign demanding Oxford University cancel a public event with director Ken Loach discussing his distinguished career in film.
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Brian Eno: Artists must call out Germany’s anti-Palestinian witch-hunt
A 2019 parliamentary resolution has had a chilling effect on critics of Israeli policy. Now the cultural sector is speaking up. This article was published in The Guardian under the title ‘Artists like me are being censored in Germany – because we support Palestinian rights’. I am just one of many artists who have been…
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Brian Eno: Israel must not be allowed to use Eurovision as a propaganda tool
“Those of us who make art and culture for a living thrive on free and open communication. So what should we do when we see culture becoming part of a political agenda? “Music unites,” says UK Eurovision entrant Michael Rice. What happens when a powerful state uses art as propaganda, to distract from its immoral and illegal behaviour? Everybody involved in the Eurovision song contest this year should understand that this is what is happening.
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DJs, producers, electronic musicians join boycott of Israel en masse
Today a wave of DJs, producers, record labels, electronic musicians are speaking up for Palestine and endorsing the cultural boycott of Israel. Using the hashtag #DJsForPalestine, this collective action follows a similar wave from bands, including artists such as Portishead and Wolf Alice, who came out in protest using the hashtag #ArtistsForPalestine, shortly after Israel’s massacre of unarmed Palestinian protesters in Gaza this May.
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Jamiroquai, will you stand with the Palestinians?
Palestinians pay with life and limb for their protests, and they ask for your support. Will you stand with them? Will you cancel your concert in Israel?
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Israeli cultural whitewash fails to impress at Edinburgh Festival Fringe
For the second August in a row, advocates for Israel have used Edinburgh’s huge annual cultural gathering as cover for an attempt to whitewash the state’s decades of oppression and racist discrimination against Palestinians. Under the rubric of coexistence and cultural cooperation, this year’s International Shalom Festival, staged over three days at a community secondary…
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Artswatch Palestine: February-March 2017
ARTWATCH DIGEST: FEBRUARY – MARCH 2017
* Raiding Jenin
* Raiding Aida
* Shutting down a Theatre
* Controlling the film industry
* Putting poetry on trial
* Making Music -
‘Beautiful resistance’ meets cynical culture-washing on Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Fringe’s renowned open platform for all forms of artistic expression produced a curious juxtaposition this year, as Palestinians deployed creativity to shatter the bonds of political repression while Israeli state apologists cloaked a discredited political message in threadbare cultural clothing. The gulf between the two was demonstrated in the pages of Scotland’s press,…
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Boycott message reaches Baaba Maal: please don’t play Israel’s PR game
“I’ve been a fan of Baaba Maal for around a quarter century. The thought of him playing in apartheid Israel instead of showing solidarity with the Palestinian people makes no sense to me.”
Paul Hellyer, WOMAD audience member -
Israel’s war on Palestinian media – Why no protest from the UK government?
In March 2016, Israel continued its assault on Palestinian media organisations by closing down the TV station, Palestine Today, and arresting some of its staff. The British government, so vocal at other times in its defence of ‘democratic values’, responded only with silence. The APUK collective sent this letter to the Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond,…
