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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIsraeli theatre group has performances cancelled at Edinburgh Fringe
An Israeli theatre group that had its shows cancelled at the Edinburgh Fringe vowed on Friday to find another venue and in the mean time said they would sing in the streets "for peace".
The Underbelly venue cancelled performances of Incubator Theatre's production The City a hip hop crime fable on Wednesday after a demonstration of around 100 outside.
There had also been a letter signed by Scottish artists and writers, including the playwright David Greig and Scotland's national poet Liz Lockhead, calling for Incubator not to be allowed to perform given what is happening in Gaza: Incubator receives funding from the Israeli government.
But the company's artistic director, Arik Eshet, said that his government was not funding art for political reasons. "They fund art for art," he said. "It can be against the government, we are not censored. Every group that comes to the Fringe from other countries is unable to come without government help."
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/aug/01/israeli-theatre-group-performances-cancelled-edinburgh-fringe-gaza
FarPoint
(12,437 posts)The Israeli citizens have the power to evoke change as does the world view as a whole. This is a good thing. Placing pressure on business as usual will hopefully migrate upwards, forcing the leaders to act with compassion and negotiate peace.
malaise
(269,157 posts)Banned all cultural and sporting events - excellent.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Genuinely curious to know your thoughts on that.
For those unfamiliar:
The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is a youth orchestra based in Seville, Spain, consisting of musicians from countries in the Middle East, of Egyptian, Iranian, Israeli, Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian and Spanish background. The Argentine-Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim and the late Palestinian-American academic Edward Said founded the orchestra in 1999, and named the ensemble after an anthology of poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West-Eastern_Divan_Orchestra
sufrommich
(22,871 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)Fringe Israeli dance show is second targeted by boycott
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/fringe-israeli-dance-show-is-second-targeted-by-boycott.24865159
Boycott all Israeli goods as well.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Is it just until the attack on Gaza stops?
malaise
(269,157 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)Even if the attack stopped immediately, these actions would continue?
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)as it's bound to do as a signatory to the UN charter (which explicitly denies territorial gain by right of conquest).
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Even if Israel does what you said, there is still the problem of unequal treatment for the Palestinian citizens of Israel, isn't there?
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)Israeli Arab citizens may experience some discrimination socially, but not legally; Arab citizens of Israel have equal rights under law, there are Arab members of the Knesset, and so on. All of the accusations of "apartheid" directed at Israel relate pretty specifically to Israel's treatment of Palestinians under occupation in the West Bank and Gaza.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Their website seems to indicate that these actions would continue as long as the Palestinian citizens of Israel are experiencing discrimination in Israel.
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)this is the sort of thing that explicit ethnic nationalism and privileging members of a particular group under law leads to. "Jewish and democratic state" is an oxymoron. (I'm not sure why Israel gets a pass on ethno-religious nationalism that most would find odious in the US or Europe; imagine if a member of Congress were to introduce a bill requiring immigrants to affirm the white, Christian character of the United States, for instance.)
FarPoint
(12,437 posts)I'm having brain apnea at the moment. Tourism to Israel is obviously down due to the bombing... I'm not sure what their export items are off the top of my head.
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)sufrommich
(22,871 posts)Russians for Ukrainian deaths? Ukrainians for Russian deaths? Libyans for Libyan deaths? No?Hmmm.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)The thing that strikes me most, though, is that I've never seen this kind of demonstration before. This is my sixth year performing at the Edinburgh Fringe and my tenth performing at international arts festivals and I've never seen a performance by an American artist being picketed over the war in Iraq and I wonder why my own show is not being picketed over Australia's current refugee policy and treatment of asylum seekers.
I have also received government funding in the form of art and cultural grants. My comedy group is also "state funded" by our government just like Incubator is by theirs. Should we be a target for protest as well?
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/axis-of-awesome/edinburgh-protesters-shut-down-israel-hiphopera_b_5643699.html
randome
(34,845 posts)In this case, most of the world is against what Israel has done and is continuing to do.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]
randome
(34,845 posts)Iraq isn't going to ban Americans since it still needs us to help it recover from the fiasco we caused.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]
FarPoint
(12,437 posts)A bit off topic...good discussing issue ...hope to see a thread on the issue.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,361 posts)By the cold-blooded murder of 2 Palestinian teenagers on May 15th?
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Report-Autopsy-finds-live-fire-killed-Palestinian-teen-during-Nakba-Day-clashes-356036
Response to oberliner (Original post)
Post removed
Katashi_itto
(10,175 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)I think people ought to be allowed to protest if they feel motivated to do so, but I don't think the show should be canceled.
mwrguy
(3,245 posts)Ostracized by all civilized nations.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)That's actually more states than Israel has diplomatic relations with.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)The physician made the remark on Wednesday while manning a medical hotline in Flanders, Belgiums Flemish region, whose capital, Antwerp, has a sizeable Orthodox Jewish population, the local Jewish monthly Joods Actueel reported Thursday.
The woman, Bertha Klein, had her son, who is American, call the hotline at 11 p.m.
Im not coming, the doctor reportedly told the son and hung up. When the son called again, the doctor said: Send her to Gaza for a few hours, then shell get rid of the pain. According to Joods Actueel, the doctor confirmed the exchange, saying he had an emotional reaction.
http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/Belgian-doctor-refuses-treatment-to-Jewish-patient-369591
Seeing more and more of this kind of thing.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)They are both troubling, I think, but for different reasons (and to different degrees).