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| British film director calls for cultural boycott of Israel
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British film director Ken Loach
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LONDON (EJP)--- Prominent British film director Ken Loach has called for a boycott of state-sponsored Israeli cultural institutions in response to Israel’s actions in Lebanon, and has encouraged others to follow suit.
The 69-year-old winner of this year’s Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival has also refused an invite to attend this year’s Haifa Film Festival in protest against Israel’s actions during the recent hostilities in Lebanon.
He said: “I support the call by Palestinian film-makers, artists and others to boycott state sponsored Israeli cultural institutions and urge others to join their campaign.
“Palestinians are driven to call for this boycott after 40 years of the occupation of their land, destruction of their homes and the kidnapping and murder of their civilians. They have no immediate hope that this oppression will end.”
As a result, he has declined an invitation to attend the Haifa International Film Festival in October saying: “It is impossible to ignore the appeals of Palestinian comrades. Consequently, I would decline any invitation to the Haifa Film Festival or other such occasions.”
Socialist worker
Loach, a member of the Socialist Workers Party and the National Council of George Galloway’s Respect Party, also condemned the British and US governments for supporting Israel.
“As British citizens we have to acknowledge our own responsibility. We must condemn the British and US governments for supporting and arming Israel. We must also oppose the terrorist activities of the British and US governments in pursuing their illegal wars and occupations.”
The Cannes Film Festival award was for his latest film, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, about the struggle for Irish independence, which some critics have labelled as anti-British.
In response, the British film director Josh Appignanesi, who directed the Jewish film Song of Songs, said: “The suffering that Israel has in one way or another inflicted on the Palestinians is completely unacceptable and the current situation in the territories is a political and humanitarian scandal that must be brought to an end. The disgusting recent war with Hizbollah has taken a shocking and entirely unnecessary human toll.”
However he continued: “But it is precisely at such times that we need to remain cool-headed and clear in our response. So it was with some disappointment but no great surprise that I heard that Ken Loach, a filmmaking institution in himself, has added his voice to calls to boycott state-sponsored Israeli cultural institutions. His letter is far from clear about what the boycott hopes to achieve and why he is asking us to sign up to it.”
He added: “One can only wonder why the world is being asked to rally to boycott Israel in lieu of say, Turkey, Iran, Zimbabwe and China. Perhaps those nations have been around long enough to be able to trample human rights constantly without their existence being drawn into question?
“Strange that the concerned Western Left, in which I would like to include myself, can trust itself to distinguish between creator, creation, specific institution and regime in these other cases, but not in that of Israel or is there something else at play?”
Other festivals targeted
Last month the Edinburgh International Film Festival returned a donation from the Israeli Embassy after pro-Palestinian activists inundated the organisers with mail and phone calls and threatened to demonstrate at the event.
The Irish Film Festival also cancelled its sponsorship arrangement with the Israeli Embassy in Dublin, for the screening of an Israeli film at the festival in August, following Israel’s actions in Lebanon.
Mark Mulqueen, the director of the Irish Film Institute, said in a statement: “The decision is taken in light of the current activities of the Israeli government and prompted by the performance of your ambassador in explaining these acts to the Irish public. It is important for us to separate the screening of an Israeli feature film from activities of the Israeli government. In allowing the screening to go ahead, this is not an act of artistic censorship, something we would be loath to do.”
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