"Justice, dignity and the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people and all who are fighting colonial dispossession and violence across the planet."
These are the words that strike hardest in a new pro-Palestine petition that has been signed by over 600 musicians from every walk of life, from all across the world, each one announcing that they will no longer play at what the letter calls “Israel's complicit cultural institutions.”
The far-reaching letter has been signed by the likes of A-Trak, Caterina Barbieri, Cypress Hill, DJ Snake, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, India Jordan, KMRU, Juliana Huxtable, Lowkey, LSDXOXO, Nicolas Jaar, NoName, Patti Smith, Pharoahe Monch, Rage Against The Machine, Run The Jewels, Talib Kweli, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and VTSS, in addition to Middle East favourites, Habibi Funk, ZULI and Muqata'a.
The letter comes after a period of brutal violence committed against residents of both Sheikh Jarrah and Gaza in recent weeks and is the latest show of support from a global music community that is doing whatever it can to shine a light on the atrocities committed against Palestinians. Read the full letter below and find out more at www.musiciansforpalestine.com.
In Solidarity and Empathy,
As musicians, we cannot be silent. Today it is essential that we stand with Palestine.
We are calling on our peers to publicly assert their solidarity with the Palestinian people. Complicity with Israeli war crimes is found in silence, and today silence is not an option.
Silence is not an option as the brutal Israeli bombardment of besieged Gaza claimed more than 245 lives in the last weeks.
Silence is not an option as residents of Sheikh Jarrah in occupied Jerusalem are continuously forced out of their homes.
Silence is not an option as millions of Palestinian refugees are denied their collective right of return.
The Israeli government operates a settler-colonial project committed to the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population. The legacies of systemic violence, racism and dispossession shaped by colonialism must stop. We call on all governments to stop funding all resources and technologies that back the Israeli state and their war crimes.
Today, we speak together and demand justice, dignity and the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people and all who are fighting colonial dispossession and violence across the planet.
We call for you to join us with your name in refusing to perform at Israel’s complicit cultural institutions, and by standing firm in your support of the Palestinian people and their human right to sovereignty and freedom. We believe this is crucial to one day live in a world without segregation and apartheid.
FREE PALESTINE
