Monday, January 26, 2009

Chicago to Protest Batsheva Dance Company

Received via e-mail:

Boycott the Batsheva Dance Company's U.S. Tour!

Picket at the Chicago Performance

When
: Sunday, February 8...12:30-2:00 PM
Where: Auditorium Theatre - 50 E. Congress, Chicago

Israel's latest brutal war on Gaza killed over 1300 people and injured over 5000; with over 400 children killed and another 1500 injured. These numbers are expected to rise as more bodies are discovered beneath the ruins. Meanwhile, Israel's ongoing and illegal siege still does not allow crucial necessities into Gaza.

Israel's leading dance company, Batsheva, is touring the US and Canada starting January 28th through March of 2009. As cultural ambassadors and representatives of the Israeli state, Batsheva was asked to denounce the racist and brutal policies and crimes of their government against the Palestinian people, and refused.

"Writing October 26, 2008, in The Independent of London, Jenny Gilbert reports that the dance company is "funded by Israel's government, its performers include none of Arab extraction, and it is 'proud to be considered Israel's leading ambassador.'"

Activists across the country have been planning and organizing a boycott of Batsheva Dance Company for several months. The most recent Israeli atrocities in Gaza have added another sense of urgency and another layer of public anger towards Israel. In 2005, hundreds of Palestinian civil society organization called on activists and institutions around the world to organize and join the movement of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel. The calls for boycott include commercial, academic, and cultural aspects, and have been echoed by numerous Israeli and international artists, academics, and thinkers.

For more information on BDS: http://www.bdsmovement.net/ and http://www.pacbi.org

Endorsing organizations [ list in formation: ] International Solidarity Movement-Chicago chapter, Palestine Solidarity Group-Chicago, Chicagoans Against Apartheid in Palestine
To endorse please contact: ISMinChicago@aol.com or 773-267-5198

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How dare you! These people are artists who by touring the world are spreading the word of peace. They are not responsible of their government's actions.