More censorship in Manchester, more artists’ protests

JVL Introduction

The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester should know better. Just a couple of months ago another Manchester venue, HOME, withdrew its threat to cancel a performance showcasing Palestinian “Voices of Resilience”  after artists mobilised to demand that the event be allowed to go ahead. Which it did on April 22.

Now the Royal Exchange has attracted censure for cancelling an updated version of the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, apparently because of objections to inclusion of the phrase “Free Palestine” and mention of “trans rights”.

Below we reproduce from the Artists for Palestine UK website an open letter signed by more than 200 artists calling on the Royal Exchange to “fully apologise for silencing calls for equal rights and liberation, and to commit to taking meaningful, measurable and transparent action to address its serious failings.”

NWI

This article was originally published by Artists for Palestine UK on Thu 26 Sep 2024. Read the original here.