Today, leading artists including musicians Paul Weller, Massive Attack’s Robert del Naja, Brian Eno and US artist Reggie Watts have joined Nadine Shah in calling for the ban to be dropped and for the government to stop supplying arms to Israel.
Actors Tilda Swinton, Steve Coogan and Billy Howle are among those signing the statement saying “Palestine Action is intervening to stop a genocide. It is acting to save life.”
“We believe Imagine Dragons share these values. We urge the group to uphold them by canceling the shows in Baku and Tel Aviv, and consistently speaking out for everyone’s safety and everyone’s human rights. Palestinians and Armenians, like all people, deserve to live in freedom, dignity, and safety. It’s not too late for Imagine Dragons to do the right thing. It would be a meaningful contribution towards freedom, justice and equality for all.”
More than 100 public figures urge the international community to protect Palestinian human rights defenders.
Musicians Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Jarvis Cocker and Massive Attack, film directors Laura Poitras, Jim Jarmusch and Costa Gravas, authors Philip Pullman, Naomi Klein, Irvine Welsh, Colm Tóibín and Monica Ali — are among dozens of leading artists who have signed a statement urging the international community to act.
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…
Steve Coogan, Peter Gabriel, Massive Attack, Benjamin Zephaniah, Maxine Peake and Philip Pullman are among 60+ cultural figures to put their names to an open letter condemning attacks on key Palestinian cultural centres.
“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.
Personal messages of solidarity and support to Lorde from Brian Eno and Roger Water, Peter Garbiel and more…
Waters: ‘Nick thinks this is about censorship of his music? What? Nick, with all due respect, your music is irrelevant to this issue, so is mine, so is Brian Eno’s so is Beethoven’s, this isn’t about music, it’s about human rights.’
AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL UK MUSICIANS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR IN BERLIN AUGUST 23 – 25, 2017
***UPDATE:
Iklan, featuring Law Holt, are the first UK band to respond to Palestinians’ appeal to withdraw from Israeli-sponsored festival 17.08.2017
Brian Eno and Roger Waters have told Artists for Palestine UK they endorse APUK’s open letter (below) to Pop-Kultur musicians 17.08.2017
Dear colleagues:
When you signed up to play Berlin Pop-Kultur, you possibly didn’t know that the Israeli Embassy in Germany was a sponsor. Maybe you also don’t know that Palestinian civil society, living under Israeli military occupation or in exile, is appealing to artists not to take part in events sponsored by the state of Israel, in solidarity with the Palestinians’ long struggle for rights and freedom.
In his letter, while declaring to be “flattered” by the choice of his music for the work, Eno says that its use creates “a serious conflict” for him, since according to the composer, “the Israeli government uses art to promote ‘Brand Israel’ and divert attention from the occupation of Palestinian lands”