Once again, the Grec Festival of Barcelona has accepted the collaboration of the Israeli Embassy to programme dance shows of Israeli companies. This already happened in 2012 with “Bombyx Mori“, in 2014 with “Krum” and now with “If At All“, which is a show created and interpreted by Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company / Rami Be’e, and which will be presented the 8th and 9th of July in the Grec Theatre of Barcelona.

Due to the explicit involvement of the Israeli Embassy with the programming of the show in the Grec Festival, the Red Solidaria Contra la Ocupación de Palestina (Spanish solidarity network against the occupation of Palestine – RESCOP) and the Catalan group of Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, known as BDS Catalunya, ask the Catalan civil society to apply a cultural boycott to this show. We aren’t asking to boycott the show “If at all” because the author of the show is an Israeli company, but because this show receives institutional support from the Israeli embassy, which is part of the political regime which opresses the Palestinian people since 1948.

The Boycott, Divestments and Sactions (BDS) against Israel campaign was launched in 2005 by 170 organizations from the Palestinian civil society. The call urges the international community to various forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law by: Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands occupied in June 1967 and dismantling the Wall; Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.

The international BDS campaign includes the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel, formed by tens of organizations from the Palestinian civil society who call on the international community to apply a boycott to all the cultural and academic Israeli institutions, as a contribution to the fight against occupation, colonization and apartheid. The cultural boycott is only applicable when “a cultural show is totally or partially support by an Israeli institution or by an accomplice”. No matter if this support is technical or economic, the Israeli Embassy’s support in this show has been proved, so the BDS international movement considers this show must be boycotted.

Currently Israel’s apartheid and illegal policies are being more and more questioned by the International community, so Israel spends many economic resources in washing it’s image in cultural events. In Catalonia, the collaborations and sponsorphips of the Israeli Embassy in cultural events are frequent; recent examples are the economic and institutional support it gave to theFestival Primavera Sound through the cycle «Sounds from Israel». As Limor Livnat, exminister of Culture and Sport from Netanyahu’s government said, “for Israel, culture is our best embassy”.

Inspired by the magnificent example cultural boycott took place against the apartheid regime in South Africa, cultural boycott against Israel is stronger every day and is receiving more and more support from artists and well-known people linked to the cultural sector. Among many others who have expressed their support to boycott Israel there is: Cassandra Wilson, Natacha Atlas, Cat Power, Jello Biafra, Lhasa, Gilles Vigneault, Roger Waters, Elvis Costello, Carlos Santana, Annie Lennox, Vanessa Paradis, Gil Scott-Heron, The Pixies and Massive Attack. In Spain there is also a long list: Obrint Pas, Maruja Torres, Juan Diego Botto, Amparo Sánchez (Amparanoia), Pilar Bardem, Cesk Freixas, Los Chicos del Maíz, Leo Bassi, Pau Alabajos, Willy Toledo, etc.

The Guide to cultural boycott against Israeli Apartheid, published in 2013 by RESCOP, offers all the information needed to know when to boycott and how to apply it.

In response to foreseeable “anti-Semitism” accusations from Zionist lobbies, we want to restate our rejection to any type of discrimination or xenophobia, such as judeophobia, islamophobia, Zionism, racism, homophobia or any other. Many Jewish comrades in Catalonia and in the other parts of the world (including Israel), are part of the BDS international movement, which operates in a non-violent way to achieve a just peace in Palestine.

For a just peace in Palestine, let’s intensify Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel.

We ask all of the population in solidarity with Palestine to join the boycott campaign against the show “If at all” of the Grec Festival, to denounce the complicity of this Festival with Israel’s illegal policies and we ask the Grec Festival to stop accepting Israel’s collaborations (through the Embassy or any other state institution) to programme shows in future editions.

Grec Festival: culture cannot cover Israel’s apartheid crimes!

Signed:

BDS Catalunya

Red Solidaria contra la Ocupación de Palestina (RESCOP)*

*(RESCOP more than 40 organization in solidarity with Palestine in Spain)