Artists deplore the bullying tactics being used to defend injustice against Palestinians and to suppress an artist’s freedom of conscience. Source: Artists for Palestine UK
More than 100 artists including leading figures in film, theatre, literature, and music have come together to sign a statement of support for the singer, songwriter and record producer Lorde. While signatories to the letter, which is published on the Guardian’s letter page, may hold a range of positions on BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions), they are united in their defence of the right to freedom of conscience.
Letter in support of Lorde
We write in support of Lorde, who made public her decision not to perform in Israel and has now been branded a “bigot” in a full page advertisement in the Washington Post (Guardian, 1 January 2018).
Shmuley Boteach, the author and promoter of the advert, supports Israel’s illegal settlements and wrote last month on Breitbart to thank Donald Trump for “electrifying the world” with his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in defiance of international law. He has nothing to teach artists about human rights.
We deplore the bullying tactics being used to defend injustice against Palestinians and to suppress an artist’s freedom of conscience. We support Lorde’s right to take a stand.
Signed by:
Khalid Abdalla actor
Tunde Adebimpe musician
Rachel Aggs musician
Yasmine Al Massri actor
Kevin Allen screenwriter, director
Amir Amirani filmmaker
Adjoa Andoh actor
Frankie Armstrong singer
Conrad Atkinson artist, emeritus professor
Sarah Beddington artist
Yves Berger painter
Caroline Bergvall writer, artist
Nicholas Blincoe writer
Leah Borromeo filmmaker
Jonathan Burrows choreographer
David Calder actor
Julie Christie actor
Ian Christie film historian, broadcaster
Chipo Chung actor
Caryl Churchill playwright
Dominic Cooke director
Kia Corthron playwright, novelist
Joseph Coward writer, artist
Molly Crabapple artist, writer
John Cusack actor, writer, producer, board member Freedom of the Press Foundation
Selma Dabbagh writer
Cherien Dabis film and TV director
William Dalrymple writer
Angela Davis writer
Dror Dayan filmmaker
Laurence Dreyfus director, Phantasm viol consort
Carol Drinkwater filmmaker
David Edgar playwright
Nancy Elan violinist
Brian Eno musician
Eve Ensler playwright, performer
Samir Eskanda musician
Jodie Evans writer, producer
Shepard Fairey artist
Michelle Fairley actor
Saeed T. Farouky filmmaker
Fat White Family band
Yasmin Fedda filmmaker
Bella Freud designer
Peter Gabriel musician
Lisa Gerrard composer
Tom Gilroy film director
David Gray musician
Kathleen Hanna musician, artist
John Keane artist
Reem Kelani singer, musicologist
Peter Kennard artist
AL Kennedy writer
Jonathan Kent theatre and opera director
Hari Kunzru writer
Talib Kweli musician
David Lan artistic director, Young Vic
Paul Laverty scriptwriter
Tom Leonard poet
Ken Loach film director
Miriam Margolyes actor
Kika Markham actor
Yann Martel writer
Emel Mathlouthi musician
Pauline Melville writer
Tom Morello musician
Jenny Morgan filmmaker
David Morrissey actor, director
Viggo Mortensen actor, writer, musician, artist
Peter Mullan actor, director
Rebecca O’Brien film producer
Andrew O’Hagan writer
Eugene O’Hare actor, writer
Maxine Peake actor
Miranda Pennell filmmaker
Brendan Perry musician
Nancy Platt filmmaker
Jocelyn Pook composer
Dave Randall musician
Mark Ruffalo actor
Alexei Sayle comedian, writer
James Schamus producer, writer, director
David Scott music producer, sound engineer
Nabil Shaban actor, writer
Wallace Shawn actor, playwright
Farhana Sheikh writer
Gillian Slovo writer
Cherry Smith poet
John Smith artist
Chris Somes-Charlton artist management
Ahdaf Soueif writer
Juliet Stevenson actor
Jennie Stoller actor
Samuel Toms musician
Alice Walker writer
Naomi Wallace playwright, screenwriter
Roger Waters musician
Hilary Westlake theatre director
Susan Wooldridge actor, writer
Nicholas Wright playwright, director
Emily Young artist
Benjamin Zephaniah poet, musician
Published in the Guardian here