Latest news with #PACBI
The National
3 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Glasgow Film Theatre board members quit after Israel boycott decision
On Thursday, The National told how Glasgow Film – the company which runs the GFT – said it would not fully endorse either the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement or the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). Glasgow Film said this was in order to retain "independent decision making" and uphold its "commitment to Cinema For All". READ MORE: 'Do something!': Question Time audience member in fiery row with Labour MP on Israel Now, three members of the GFT board have resigned, raising concerns about the processes leading to the decision. Dr Sarah Wishart, one of the members who quit, claimed the board had not signed off on any letters or statements regarding the decision before they had been sent to staff and the media. On Thursday, Wishart shared a statement on social media, which the three members read out during a board meeting on Tuesday. It reads: "Unfortunately, due to the decision making and processes leading up to this evening, we have no choice but to resign from the board of Glasgow Film Theatre, effective immediately. "This is a decision which we undertook with great thought, care and consideration. "We recognised our responsibility as board members, and wished to see issues related to BDS/PACBI through to their conclusion. "However, we cannot, in good conscience, continue to serve on the board of the GFT. "In addition to our concerns related to governance and decision-making processes, we are also deeply concerned about the attitude the GFT has shown towards our unionised workers. READ MORE: Gaza ceasefire talks continue as Israel issues forced displacement orders "We intend to follow this statement with individual written resignations to formally conclude our time on the board." Earlier this year, front-of-house and cleaning staff at the GFT staged a boycott on handling any goods connected to the BDS movement, which resulted in Coca-Cola products no longer being served. Campaign group Art Workers for Palestine Scotland then published an open letter to the GFT calling for the cinema to adhere to the BDS movement and endorse PACBI. The letter was signed by more than 1400 people and included the likes of Ghassan Abu-Sittah, rector of the University of Glasgow and filmmaker Ken Loach. Glasgow Film has been contacted for comment.
The National
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Glasgow Film Theatre decides to not endorse Israel boycott movement
Glasgow Film announced on Thursday that it wouldn't fully endorse either the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement or the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). The cinema said this was in order to retain 'independent decision making' and uphold its 'commitment to Cinema For All'. READ MORE: John Swinney urged to intervene and scrap Flamingo Land plans at fiery FMQs It comes after a boycott by the GFT's front-of-house and cleaning teams on handling any goods connected to the BDS movement led to Coca-Cola products no longer being served. Art Workers for Palestine Scotland then published an open letter to the GFT calling for the cinema to adhere to the (BDS) movement and endorse PACBI. The letter was signed by more than 1400 and included the likes of Ghassan Abu-Sittah, rector of the University of Glasgow and filmmaker Ken Loach. But Glasgow Film has decided to not formally endorse the movement. 'The Board of Trustees at Glasgow Film recognise the horrific humanitarian crisis in Gaza and are appalled by the ongoing loss of Palestinian lives,' a statement read. 'We understand the depth and diversity of feeling within our staff, audiences, and wider communities, and we acknowledge the calls from artists and activists for cultural and consumer boycotts in solidarity with Palestinians. 'We also recognise the rising levels of antisemitism, Islamophobia and polarisation in our communities and condemn any kind of racism or discrimination.' (Image: PA) The statement added: 'As an independent charity, trustees are legally required to act in the best interests of the charity, and in line with its charitable objects which are, for Glasgow Film, principally to educate the public about film. To meet this obligation, we believe that all decisions, including those relating to ethical purchasing and programming, should be taken independently, and on a case-by-case basis, informed by robust internal policies and processes.' They announced a review and refresh 'in consultation with staff' on their ethical policies and 'assess any connections to human rights abuses' and claimed a review of products in the cinema's bar has already started. The board also said it would continue to platform global filmmakers including Palestinian artists. 'Following a period of careful reflection, legal advice, and consultation with staff and community stakeholders, we consider the above approach to be in line with our legal duties as charity trustees and in the best interests of the charity, as opposed to formal and wholesale endorsement of BDS or PACBI,' the statement went on.
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow Film Theatre decides to not endorse Israel boycott movement
Glasgow Film announced on Thursday that it wouldn't fully endorse either the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement or the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). The cinema said this was in order to retain 'independent decision making' and uphold its 'commitment to Cinema For All'. It comes after a boycott by the GFT's front-of-house and cleaning teams on handling any goods connected to the BDS movement led to Coca-Cola products no longer being served. Art Workers for Palestine Scotland then published an open letter to the GFT calling for the cinema to adhere to the (BDS) movement and endorse PACBI. The letter was signed by more than 1400 and included the likes of Ghassan Abu-Sittah, rector of the University of Glasgow and filmmaker Ken Loach. But Glasgow Film has decided to not formally endorse the movement. 'The Board of Trustees at Glasgow Film recognise the horrific humanitarian crisis in Gaza and are appalled by the ongoing loss of Palestinian lives,' a statement read. 'We understand the depth and diversity of feeling within our staff, audiences, and wider communities, and we acknowledge the calls from artists and activists for cultural and consumer boycotts in solidarity with Palestinians. 'We also recognise the rising levels of anti-semitism, Islamophobia and polarisation in our communities and condemn any kind of racism or discrimination.' (Image: PA) The statement added: 'As an independent charity, trustees are legally required to act in the best interests of the charity, and in line with its charitable objects which are, for Glasgow Film, principally to educate the public about film. To meet this obligation, we believe that all decisions, including those relating to ethical purchasing and programming, should be taken independently, and on a case-by-case basis, informed by robust internal policies and processes.' They announced a review and refresh 'in consultation with staff' on their ethical policies and 'assess any connections to human rights abuses' and claimed a review of products in the cinema's bar has already started. The board also said it would continue to platform global filmmakers including Palestinian artists. 'Following a period of careful reflection, legal advice, and consultation with staff and community stakeholders, we consider the above approach to be in line with our legal duties as charity trustees and in the best interests of the charity, as opposed to formal and wholesale endorsement of BDS or PACBI,' the statement went on.
Saba Yemen
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
"Israel's Red Card": Renewed Efforts to Expel Enemy from FIFA
Gaza – Saba: The global boycott movement continues its efforts to isolate Israel globally and expose its crimes, which it seeks to whitewash or conceal through cultural and sporting activities. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), an arm of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, seeks to expel the Israeli Football Association from FIFA and ban the enemy from representing it internationally, according to the Iranian Tasnim News Agency. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jonny Greenwood and Dudu Tassa Release Statement After BDS Campaign Prompts Concert Cancellations
Jonny Greenwood, June 2024 (Valeria Magri/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Jonny Greenwood and Dudu Tassa say 'censorship and silencing' led to the cancellation of their two UK concerts next month under pressure from the the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. The Radiohead musician and Israeli singer are longtime collaborators, but have faced renewed criticism over their willingness to keep performing in Israel as the nation's military levels neighboring Gaza. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) supported protests against the UK concerts on the grounds that Greenwood and Tassa were 'artwashing genocide.' A statement on social media attributed to Greenwood, Tassa, and their musicians said the two venues, Bristol Beacon and Hackney Church, had 'received enough credible threats to conclude that it's not safe to proceed.' Those claims are unsubstantiated, PACBI notes, saying the shows 'were cancelled following peaceful BDS pressure.' Pitchfork has emailed the venues to clarify the nature of any threats and how they have been linked to the BDS movement, as Greenwood and Tassa imply. The duo's statement continues, 'Forcing musicians not to perform and denying people who want to hear them an opportunity to do so is self-evidently a method of censorship and silencing. Intimidating venues into pulling our shows won't help achieve the peace and justice everyone in the Middle East deserves.' PACBI, which helped found the BDS movement, has argued in a string of statements that Greenwood and Tassa's ties to Israel go beyond cultural exchange. The campaign to boycott their tour was prompted by a Tel Aviv concert, in May 2024, when the duo performed 'on a night that genocidal Israeli forces massacred displaced Palestinians in their tents in Rafah, burning them alive, just a short drive away.' Greenwood, in a statement last year, argued that BDS is 'silencing Israeli artists for being born Jewish in Israel.' Responding to today's statement, PACBI noted that the duo recently performed at Tel Aviv club Barby, which, in 2014, handed out T-shirts to Israeli Defense Force soldiers reading 'Fuck you, we're from Israel,' after the IDF's massacre of Palestinians in Shejaiya. PACBI added that it is calling for the boycott of 'future shows by Greenwood's other projects, including Radiohead, unless they convincingly distance themselves, at a minimum, from his consistent, shameful complicity in artwashing Israel's genocide in Gaza.' The record Greenwood and Tassa are touring—Jarak Qaribak, Arabic for Your Neighbour Is Your Friend—is primarily an album of Arabic love songs, featuring singers from Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Iraq, their own statement notes. Nour Freteikh, a Palestinian singer, also appears on the record, along with guests from Egypt, Dubai, and other Middle Eastern countries. Greenwood and Tassa say that while critics on the political right say their music is 'too inclusive, too aware of the rich and beautiful diversity of Middle Eastern culture,' those on the left argue that they are 'only playing it to absolve ourselves of our collective sins.' They continue, 'We dread the weaponisation of this cancellation by reactionary figures as much as we lament its celebration by some progressives.' Greenwood and Tassa draw comparisons between their show cancellations and the international backlash against the Irish rap trio Kneecap, who broadcast messages at Coachella condemning Israel for 'committing genocide against the Palestinian people.' Footage was later unearthed of a member of the group saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' and calling for the death of Conservative members of Parliament. (Kneecap have since apologized, claiming the latter footage was taken out of context and they have never supported Hamas or Hezbollah; UK terror police is investigating the trio.) A statement by artists including Massive Attack, Pulp, and Fontaines D.C. condemned the 'concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform' Kneecap. Greenwood and Tassa's statement responds, 'We have no judgement to pass on Kneecap but note how sad it is that those supporting their freedom of expression are the same ones most determined to restrict ours.' In his Red Hand Files newsletter, Nick Cave appeared to concur with the notion that defending Kneecap while denouncing Greenwood and Tassa amounted to 'hypocrisy.' The duo's statement concludes, 'We feel great admiration, love and respect for all the performers in this band, especially the Arab musicians and singers who have shown amazing bravery and conviction in contributing to our first record, and in touring with us. Their artistic achievements are toweringly important, and we hope one day you will get to hear us play these songs—love songs mostly—together with us, somewhere, somehow. If that happens, it won't be a victory for any country, religion, or political cause. It'll be a victory for our shared love and respect of the music—and of each other.' Greenwood has well-established roots in Israel, dating back to a Pablo Honey–era tour of the country that Radiohead members have cited as the first time they were treated like superstars. On the tour, Greenwood met his wife, Sharona Katan, an Israeli artist of Egyptian and Iraqi descent. Their nephew, the Israeli Defense Force sergeant Reef Harush, was killed in combat in Gaza in 2024 at the age of 20. One of Greenwood and Tassa's concerts in Israel that year was a benefit for Harush. Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
