It’s hard to imagine that this still needs to be said but it does.
In the light of Israel’s current attempts to counter the success of the BDS movement, by calling those who highlight Israel’s myriad abuses of the Palestinian people bullies and ascribing threatening behaviour to them, it needs to be said again and again.Unfortunately some artists and their managers are buying into this narrative and while saying they are not political, they are dancing the most political of dances.
It’s amazing how ethnic cleansing, oppression, war crimes, apartheid don’t pose threats to many artists’ consciences but drawing their attention to them is characterised as threatening behaviour.
I call bullshit on this. My thoughts below.
Apartheid is wrong. This is not a threat.
Ethnic cleansing is wrong. This is not a threat.
War crimes are wrong. This is not a threat.
Asking you not to play in a state that does all the above to a people is not wrong. This is not a threat.
Asking you to listen to the Palestinian people and to simply not cross their picket line is not wrong. This is not a threat.
Asking you to set aside your privilege and activate your conscience is not wrong. This is not a threat. There are no threats. To you.
—————————————————————————————————
But this hasbara campaign will fail and justice will out. It’s a good time for BDS with Stephen Hawking, Mira Nair, Nigel Kennedy and Roger Waters leading the current wave of positive stories by boycotting or calling on their colleagues to boycott. The Palestinian picket line is becoming something fewer people are willing to cross…. conscience can’t always be bought.
-BDS all day, every day, until Israeli apartheid ends –
zazafl 