Shrinking space for artists who support Palestine
JVL Introduction
The New York Times article reproduced below details the impact of a clampdown by cultural institutions in Germany on artists critical of Israel.
But Germany is not alone. As this piece from Index on Censorship notes, pro-Palestinian views are also being censored in other countries too. It quotes a statement from Artists for Palestine UK, signed by more than 1000 cultural figures, “which cites no fewer than 18 separate examples of artists allegedly being censored as a result of expressing support or solidarity with Palestinians, or simply by being Palestinian themselves, in light of the ongoing conflict.”
Attempts to quell protests and free speech in the arts and other spheres of life are also taking place in many European countries and, of course in Israel and in the United States too.
We might question why so many institutions and governments are so afraid; we might ask what has happened to the commitment to free speech and we may well ask, especially in the light of the USA’s veto and the UK’s abstention on the motion to the UN for a ceasefire, why words and images are more worrying than the pulverisation of Gaza. With at least 17,000 killed and no end to Israel’s aggression in sight, why do words and images call for suppression while the bombardment of Gaza is considered to be an acceptable reaction to the attack by Hamas on October 7th?
LL/NWI
This article was originally published by The New York Times on Thu 7 Dec 2023. Read the original here.
German Cultural Scene Navigates a Clampdown on Criticism of Israel
A torrent of canceled events is threatening Germany’s reputation as a haven for artistic freedom.
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It’s a long time since i had anything to do with Index on Censorship – I feel out with them over the price of their open events, which effectively blocked anyone poor from attending … but in recent years they’ve become very much associated with support for Israel, particularly with the appointment of Ruth Smeeth, now Baroness Anderson, as their Executive Director. She was formerly Parliamentary Chair of Parliamentary Jewish Labour Movement, and a member of Labour Friends of Israel … it’s still very difficult (impossible?) to find criticism of Israel on the Index site …. Ruth Smeeth was one of the most active and vocal opponents of Corbyn and the Labour Left ….
Brilliant as always
I believe we need to be brutally honest with German politicians. You do not atone for Lebensraum in Europe by supporting Lebensraum in the Middle East.
In Germany, many cultural institutions receive funding from the federal or state governments; in principle a positive measure, it can make them vulnerable to pressure.
In Berlin, the Volksbühne, the theatre founded by Bertolt Brecht, was hosting an event organised by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, but cancelled the invitation to Jeremy Corbyn, who was due to speak.
Separately, several members of PEN Berlin have resigned because the organisation had not issued a categoric statement of support for Israel. PEN Berlin is also publicly criticised for inviting AL Kennedy to speak at a forthcoming event. Until recently she was feted in Germany because of her opposition to Brexit, now she is attacked because of her support for BDS.
It should be noted that the newspaper mentioned in the article above, ‘Die Tageszeitung’ (better known as ‘taz’), is a left wing paper that used to pride itself on speaking out against prevailing views. However, when it comes to Israel/Palestine, any deviation from the mainstream is quickly silenced.