Aletho News

ΑΛΗΘΩΣ

A look ahead to 2012 BDS campaigns

By Nora Barrows-Friedman | The Electronic Intifada | January 9, 2012

Though 2011 was a success, BDS activists are gearing up for a full year of cultural boycott campaigns on the agenda. Australians for Palestine has put up this comprehensive list of all the upcoming international performers scheduled to play in Israel through August, with contact email addresses and Facebook groups.

This month, Kenny Baron, Janis Ian, the Uri Caine Ensemble, the Karl Seglem Quintet, Bad Plus, Anonymous 4, the Kora Jazz Band, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Ana Moura, James Blake, K’s Choice and Arch Enemy are all scheduled to perform. Campaigns are already under way to encourage the artists to respect the BDS call and cancel their performances. A facebook group has been set up to address eclectic pop artist James Blake, for example, urging him to “Love music, hate apartheid.”

And for the metal band Arch Enemy, a facebook page has been set up in an effort to encourage the band to cancel their performance later this month. The Arch Enemy: Resist Playing Apartheid Israel boycott group has been at the forefront of the campaign, and say that the band’s current tour as part of Amnesty Internatonal’s “Freedom of Expression” campaign is clearly hypocritical if they agree to perform in Israel. There have also been a deluge of  threats directed against the boycott campaigners — even from a member of the band itself, who stated on the band’s facebook page that:

“i am making amnesty international aware of your criminal methods and your breach of freedom of choice, freedom of expression and freedom of art. it is up to us (and only us!) to chose in which countries we perform and bring our message to. it is NOT yours to tell us what to do and  to force your will upon us. you are hurting our rights of freedom and you make us fear for our safety. SHAME ON YOU! Music should transcend all races, political issues and borders – we will not be instrumentalised, neither by you or any other organization or government. who are you to tell us what to do?!”

PACBI has made a statement to Arch Enemy, expressing their disappointment in their refusal to heed the BDS call.

More BDS news

January 9, 2012 - Posted by | Solidarity and Activism

No comments yet.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.