BRICUP Newsletter 58 November 2012 www.bricup.org.uk [email protected] CONTENTS Batsheva’s artistic director, Ohad Naharin, is a critic of Israeli policy towards Palestine. He P 1. Israeli Dance troupe’s UK Tour nevertheless continues to associate himself with a P 2. Trauma in the Dress Circle – Why company which is hailed by the current right-wing the Batsheva boycott continues government as its “best global ambassador” and is financed by Israeli arms companies, the Israeli State, P 3. Open Letter from BRICUP to Ohad and the racist Jewish National Fund which works Naharin, Artistic Director of the Batsheva openly to dispossess Palestinians and replace them Dance Company with Jewish immigrants. P 4. The PACBI column This is why ‘Don’t Dance with Israeli Why Interrogate Israel Studies in the Apartheid’(http://www.no2brandisrael.org), a Academy? campaigning coalition endorsed by BRICUP , has mounted protests at Batsheva performances in P 6. Classicist conferences in Israel: Some Edinburgh, Salford, Bradford and Brighton, and plan Notes by Paula James further demonstrations in Birmingham (Nov 13-14), Leicester (Nov 16), London (Nov 19, 20, 21) and P 7. The Not-so-Silent Boycott Plymouth (Nov 23-24). There will also be protests in P 8. Sanctions are the only answer Italy later this week when the Batsheva Dance Company is due to perform in Rome P 9. Boycott of the Cameri Theatre in Delhi P 9. A request for your support and Every performance has met with lively involvement demonstrations outside the theatres as well as short but effective interruptions inside. This is despite P 10. Notices extravagant attempts by venue managers to weed out Palestine sympathizers, covertly aided – or more **** likely pressurised – by zealots of the StandWithUs pro Israel propaganda outfit Israeli Dance troupe’s UK Tour - https://www.standwithus.com/ Plagued by protests as it travels through the UK. Many Jewish people joined the protests at Manchester’s Lowry on November 2 and 3, defusing the usual “antisemite” slurs and facilitating positive Israel’s Batsheva dance company, the focus of dialogue between campaigners and people entering vociferous pro-Palestinian boycott activity at the the theatre. A number of ticket holders even decided Edinburgh International Festival two months ago, against attending the performance after hearing continues to attract protest during the UK tour of its about the cynical ‘Brand Israel’ project. Activists junior ensemble. have been accused of behaving like hooligans but this was clearly not the view of the Lowry 1 management, who handed out hot drinks to with academics from the BRICUP who have protesters braving a rainy and windswept November requested a meeting. We will be reporting on the night. outcome of this, and the other later stages of the tour in the December Newsletter. On the nights of 6th and 7th November, more than 100 Palestine sympathisers gathered outside the Naharin himself has been quoted as arguing that Alhambra theatre in Bradford. One protestor boycott action is of no benefit to the Palestinian explains their motivation in the protests in eloquent people, but motivated by “frustration and revenge” detail whereas Batsheva aims “to build, not to destroy”. He (http://brightgreenscotland.org/index.php/2012/11/w claims to “try and create a dialogue” to replace hy-i-disrupted-batshevas-performance-in-bradford/). “conflict” in a hugely complex situation The Bradford demonstrators have written to the (http://thomdibdin.co.uk/anti-israel-protesters-target- West Yorkshire police complaining of unnecessarily batsheva-dance/). BRICUP continues to engage with heavy-handed policing, but there have been no Naharin through a powerful open letter, which you arrests. There has, however, been at least one assault can read below. on a peaceful protester by a pro-Israel audience Compiled by Naomi Wimbourne Idrissi and Monica member. Campaigners in Bradford are considering Wusteman bringing charges. **** The latest protest at the time of publication of this Trauma in the Dress Circle – Why the Newsletter, occurred in the Brighton Dome on Batsheva boycott continues th November 9 . One of the two planned performances of this company in Brighton had already been cancelled and this performance was subject to Israel’s Batsheva dance company, the focus of special security arrangements. Nevertheless, vociferous boycott activity during the Edinburgh protestors still managed to disrupt the actual International Festival two months ago performance on four occasions, and over 70 people, http://jews4big.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/campaig including many Jewish people, protested outside the ners-hail-batsheva-bds-breakthrough-undermining- venue. Andrew Comben, the Dome Director, had brand-israel/, sent its junior ensemble on an appealed to ‘artistic freedom’ to justify the Batsheva extensive UK tour in November. At the time of appearance, but the demonstrators rejected this writing (Nov 3) the Don’t Dance with Israeli empty defence in light of the oppression and war Apartheid campaign, supported by BRICUP, had crimes faced by the Palestinian people, whose artists successfully mounted further protests in Edinburgh lack the freedom to perform and travel as Israeli (http://www.boycottisraelnetwork.net/?p=1744) and companies do. Manchester, with more to come in Bradford, Brighton, Birmingham, Leicester, London and Plymouth. Such is the level of Zionist exasperation at the A member of the public – a drama teacher who was growing support for the boycott movement, intending to take a group of students to one of the modelled on the campaigns which helped end performances – wrote to the campaign insisting apartheid in South Africa, they have resorted to protesters should “stay away from this dance bringing charges of “racially aggravated conduct” performance. To let us watch and enjoy the show so against protest organisers. These have been justly that the students can write about it afterwards. To brushed aside by the authorities in Edinburgh but not scare and scream in the faces of these young surfaced again in Brighton in advance of Batsheva’s people, who will not support you, but will be quite arrival – clearly an attempt to smear and intimidate frightened of the commotion.” the protestors, and ignoring the fact that throwing around the charge of antisemitism where it has no Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi replied as follows: foundation devalues it and desensitises the public to Thank you for contacting us regarding your genuine anti-Jewish racism when it arises. concerns about planned protests focusing on Israel's Batsheva Ensemble. In London, where the Israeli ensemble is due to I am responding as the Boycott Israel Network's perform at Sadler’s Wells on November 19/20/21, cultural working group coordinator and national the venue management has so far refused to engage secretary of Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods, as 2 well as someone who loves and regularly attends Bedouin families in the Negev whose homes are dance performances. I do not know what your constantly being demolished, or the children of sources are for your reading about our campaign, but Gaza, under siege since 2006 and at the mercy of we are not, as you suggest, people "who could not Israeli bombing raids. care less about dance". On the contrary, we care very much about dance being used cynically to cast a veil over the actions of a government which is You ask why we do not protest at a Russian ballet anything but artistic in its discriminatory violence performance. I might ask you the same question, but against Palestinians. Israel runs a well-funded to respond seriously - if an oppressed people campaign called Brand Israel which is specifically comparable with the Palestinians, with no other non- designed to exploit culture as a distraction from its violent means of drawing attention to 60 years of crimes. The intended message is "Look at our dispossession and injustice, were calling on us to beautiful dancers, ignore our bombs and tanks." adopt this form of protest on their behalf against cultural institutions linked to the Russian state, we would have no hesitation in doing so. Maybe you are It's good to know that you agree with the "basic not aware that supporters of Israel adopted just such human right of being able to protest and voice an tactics against the Bolshoi Ballet and other Soviet opinion." I applaud the fact that you have looked cultural institutions as part of their campaign to into the appalling situation of the Palestinian people persuade Moscow to let dissident Jews emigrate to and that you appreciate that they are victims of Israel in the 1970s and '80s. many atrocities. In that case you must surely know that Palestinian artists and performers suffer from these atrocities at least as much as other members of We are thoroughly well acquainted with the personal their community. Their ability to express themselves views of Ohad Naharin, the artistic director of through art and culture is severely curtailed - indeed Batsheva, but these do not prevent the most right- it is deliberately suppressed by the Israeli authorities wing government Israel has ever had embracing who use every measure from administrative Batsheva as "our best global ambassador". You can regulation to extreme violence to prevent Palestinian see an analysis of Batsheva's position here. self-expression. I attach some references pertaining to this. You may also wish to look at the website of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and If you wish to explore these issues further, and give Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) which explains your students an unprecedented opportunity to their call for people of conscience around the world consider the many complex ways in which art and to mount solidarity campaigns such as ours. politics interact, I would be happy to introduce you to well-informed human rights campaigners in your area who they could meet for a discussion.