This site has been initiated by a group of British artists and filmmakers following the formation of similar networks by academics, writers and musicians in the UK and abroad. Our aim is to support the Palestinian call for a cultural boycott, which forms part of the broader movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel (BDS). This website aims to provide clear information about the boycott’s rationale, objectives and what it means in practice, in order to help artists, filmmakers and others to make informed decisions as to how to respond to the appeal from their Palestinian colleagues.
Why we believe artists must speak out
Many ordinary British people deplore the unwillingness of international governments, including our own, to hold Israel to account for its crimes, despite Israel’s persistent defiance of UN resolutions and violation of International Law. We stand by as governments continue to support Israel even as the grip of decades of military occupation continues to tighten, and despite the illegal separation Wall, war crimes in Gaza, the expulsion of Palestinians from East Jerusalem , the anti-democratic Jewish Loyalty Oath and the killing of nine unarmed Turkish aid workers in international waters.
How are citizens to respond in the absence of impartial leadership from our governments over Israel-Palestine?
As British artists and filmmakers, we support the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). We observe that international artists’ appearances within Israel are presented as tacit approval of the status quo, and believe that this serves to normalise and consolidate oppression. Therefore we ask our colleagues to join the growing number of artists who are refusing to work with Israeli institutions that do not openly oppose Israel’s entrenched system of subjugation and control. We think this is not only a moral but a long overdue international response to an intollerable situation of injustice.
We pledge to refrain from participating in cultural events that are sponsored by the Israeli state or that do not explicitly oppose the occupation, since these provide a platform for projecting a mirage of liberal cultural values while masking the realities of ongoing military occupation. We also reject Israeli cultural projects designed to present symmetry or shared responsibility between ‘both sides’, since cultural dialogue between occupier and occupied can never be equal or free.
We wish to express our solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for the same political, legal and human rights that we enjoy and expect for ourselves. In so doing we also stand with those amongst our Israeli colleagues who are supporting the Palestinian struggle from within Israel.
British Artists for Palestine
If you are a British-born or resident artist or filmmaker and you are in sympathy with the aims above, please register your support by filling out the form below. Contacts are treated confidentially. If you wish to get in contact for any other reason, we endeavor to respond as soon as we are able. Thanks for your understanding.
