Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
To the organizers of SXSW 2015,
As musicians, artists, and performers based in Austin, TX, we are writing to you today to express our deep concern about the use of our city's largest creative festival as a tool for the whitewashing of war crimes and human rights violations by an apartheid state.
The Israeli government has a long-standing history of distracting the global community from their atrocious human rights violations by presenting themselves as champions of progressive culture and modern technology. In 2005, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched "Brand Israel", a $26 million dollar whitewashing campaign to improve Israel's image abroad. After the Gaza massacre in the winter of 2008-2009, Israel decided to allot an extra $2 million towards "cultural and information diplomacy" - using artists, authors, and performers to project a false image of a culturally diverse and progressive nation, while taking the spotlight off of Israel's continuing annexation and occupation of Palestinian land, and its oppression and persecution of the Palestinian people. Israel's former Deputy Director General for Cultural Affairs, Arye Mekel, was quoted as saying, "We will send well-known novelists and writers overseas, theater companies, exhibits... This way you show Israel's prettier face, so we are not thought of purely in the context of war."
In an effort to counter this propaganda and inform the global public about the ugly truth that lies behind Israel's "prettier face," Palestinian civil society has called for a cultural boycott since 2005, as part of the larger Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement, modeled on the non-violent movement that helped overturn Apartheid in South Africa.
The BDS movement has been gaining ground rapidly, as academic institutions, businesses, and artists around the world are joining in to lend their support. This has only led to an increase in Israeli efforts to re brand themselves, most recently targeting international "hubs" of resistance (i.e., progressive cities such as Austin) for their propaganda to paint Israel as a "high-tech haven for environmental technologies and high culture". This year, Israel's presence in the SXSW Interactive Festival is more significant than ever - after killing over 2,100 Palestinians and committing heinous war crimes in the summer of 2014 alone, Israel is anxious to step up its whitewashing game, with the Government of Israel's Economic Mission to the US Southern Region hosting several events and positioning Israel to shine as the hottest new "Startup Nation".
As Austin artists and community members, we ask that our city and our festival not be used as a platform for the whitewashing of war crimes, human rights violations, and apartheid.We ask you to raise your voice with us and artists such as Roger Waters, Carlos Santana, Elvis Costello, John Williams, Bono, Bjork, Pete Seeger, and 1,000s more across the world,and we ask that SXSW honor the call for a cultural and economic boycott by canceling all events sponsored by or affiliated with the government of Israel.
For nearly two decades now, SXSW has been a mecca for artistry and innovation, and has held true to its goals of nurturing creativity and revolutionary thinking. We ask you not to sully this platform by allowing it to be used as a propaganda tool for a brutally oppressive regime. Say NO to apartheid!
In solidarity,
Austin Artists Against Apartheid
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Updates
February 26, 2015
I have spent the last few days talking with other local artists who feel exactly the same way about our festival being used this way. We are currently organizing a group to present our concerns directly to the organizers because the silence from the festival leadership remains deafening.
February 26, 2015
Seeing this conversation grow across our city feels like a turning point for the local creative community. I started this because I could no longer watch my home be used to mask such profound injustice and your support confirms I am not alone in this conviction.
38 Comments
As a UT graduate of "81 although no longer in the area I urge SXSW to become informed of the realities of the descrimination in israel-Palestine, grow some morals and act accordingly.
This letter speaks for me, I am sad to see the platform built by our creative community used for propaganda to hide brutality and injustice.
Having visited the West Bank three times I well know the dangerous and oppressive conditions Palestinians are forced to live under. I have sen the land rip offs called "settlements". I have seen Palestinian homes demolished. Unimaginable cruelty but true.
Israel does not deserve a place at the SXSW table until it grants a voice and independence to the Palestinian people. Oppressive governments should be banned from SXSW, and Israel is - until it grants autonomy to Palestine - an oppressive government.
This is an egregious form of propaganda being promulgated by repressive nation that imposes apartheid on the occupied Palestinians.
SXSW is the equivalent of fake news.
artist against apartheid
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Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
To the organizers of SXSW 2015,
As musicians, artists, and performers based in Austin, TX, we are writing to you today to express our deep concern about the use of our city's largest creative festival as a tool for the whitewashing of war crimes and human rights violations by an apartheid state.
The Israeli government has a long-standing history of distracting the global community from their atrocious human rights violations by presenting themselves as champions of progressive culture and modern technology. In 2005, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched "Brand Israel", a $26 million dollar whitewashing campaign to improve Israel's image abroad. After the Gaza massacre in the winter of 2008-2009, Israel decided to allot an extra $2 million towards "cultural and information diplomacy" - using artists, authors, and performers to project a false image of a culturally diverse and progressive nation, while taking the spotlight off of Israel's continuing annexation and occupation of Palestinian land, and its oppression and persecution of the Palestinian people. Israel's former Deputy Director General for Cultural Affairs, Arye Mekel, was quoted as saying, "We will send well-known novelists and writers overseas, theater companies, exhibits... This way you show Israel's prettier face, so we are not thought of purely in the context of war."
In an effort to counter this propaganda and inform the global public about the ugly truth that lies behind Israel's "prettier face," Palestinian civil society has called for a cultural boycott since 2005, as part of the larger Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement, modeled on the non-violent movement that helped overturn Apartheid in South Africa.
The BDS movement has been gaining ground rapidly, as academic institutions, businesses, and artists around the world are joining in to lend their support. This has only led to an increase in Israeli efforts to re brand themselves, most recently targeting international "hubs" of resistance (i.e., progressive cities such as Austin) for their propaganda to paint Israel as a "high-tech haven for environmental technologies and high culture". This year, Israel's presence in the SXSW Interactive Festival is more significant than ever - after killing over 2,100 Palestinians and committing heinous war crimes in the summer of 2014 alone, Israel is anxious to step up its whitewashing game, with the Government of Israel's Economic Mission to the US Southern Region hosting several events and positioning Israel to shine as the hottest new "Startup Nation".
As Austin artists and community members, we ask that our city and our festival not be used as a platform for the whitewashing of war crimes, human rights violations, and apartheid.We ask you to raise your voice with us and artists such as Roger Waters, Carlos Santana, Elvis Costello, John Williams, Bono, Bjork, Pete Seeger, and 1,000s more across the world,and we ask that SXSW honor the call for a cultural and economic boycott by canceling all events sponsored by or affiliated with the government of Israel.
For nearly two decades now, SXSW has been a mecca for artistry and innovation, and has held true to its goals of nurturing creativity and revolutionary thinking. We ask you not to sully this platform by allowing it to be used as a propaganda tool for a brutally oppressive regime. Say NO to apartheid!
In solidarity,
Austin Artists Against Apartheid
Updates
February 26, 2015
I have spent the last few days talking with other local artists who feel exactly the same way about our festival being used this way. We are currently organizing a group to present our concerns directly to the organizers because the silence from the festival leadership remains deafening.
February 26, 2015
Seeing this conversation grow across our city feels like a turning point for the local creative community. I started this because I could no longer watch my home be used to mask such profound injustice and your support confirms I am not alone in this conviction.
38 Comments
even South Africans themselves make the link that Israel's domestic policies are far worse than what they endured under white rule. Willie Madisha, President of COSATU, one of South Africa's largest labour unions, explains, "As someone who lived in apartheid South Africa and who has visited Palestine I say with confidence that Israel is an apartheid state. In fact, I believe that some of the atrocities committed against the South Africans by the erstwhile apartheid regime in South Africa pale in comparison to those committed against the Palestinians." That is why the University of Johannesburg severed ties with Israel’s Ben-Gurion University, following a campaign by apartheid foe Archbishop Desmond Tutu and over 400 South African academics.
As a UT graduate of "81 although no longer in the area I urge SXSW to become informed of the realities of the descrimination in israel-Palestine, grow some morals and act accordingly.
This letter speaks for me, I am sad to see the platform built by our creative community used for propaganda to hide brutality and injustice.
Having visited the West Bank three times I well know the dangerous and oppressive conditions Palestinians are forced to live under. I have sen the land rip offs called "settlements". I have seen Palestinian homes demolished. Unimaginable cruelty but true.
Israel does not deserve a place at the SXSW table until it grants a voice and independence to the Palestinian people. Oppressive governments should be banned from SXSW, and Israel is - until it grants autonomy to Palestine - an oppressive government.
This is an egregious form of propaganda being promulgated by repressive nation that imposes apartheid on the occupied Palestinians.
SXSW is the equivalent of fake news.
artist against apartheid
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even South Africans themselves make the link that Israel's domestic policies are far worse than what they endured under white rule. Willie Madisha, President of COSATU, one of South Africa's largest labour unions, explains, "As someone who lived in apartheid South Africa and who has visited Palestine I say with confidence that Israel is an apartheid state. In fact, I believe that some of the atrocities committed against the South Africans by the erstwhile apartheid regime in South Africa pale in comparison to those committed against the Palestinians." That is why the University of Johannesburg severed ties with Israel’s Ben-Gurion University, following a campaign by apartheid foe Archbishop Desmond Tutu and over 400 South African academics.