BDS Movement Statement
We want to publicly state our support and commitment to the cultural boycott of the state of Israel. This is because of the genocide that Israel is perpetrating against the people of Palestine. To be clear we recognise this genocide as ongoing and existent prior to 2023: emerging out of Israel’s long-term project of violent settler colonialism.
In 2005, Palestinian civil society issued a call for a campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and allows Palestinian rights. We stand in solidarity with this call. By so doing we are part of an international movement that we hope will have a positive effect. We urge everyone to take this clear stand and to actively encourage others to join them.
The BDS call urges international artists, cultural workers and cultural organisations to boycott and work towards the cancellation of and activities that involve Israel, its lobby groups and complicit institutions or that whitewash Israel’s human rights violations. This is a boycott of Israeli cultural institutions not Israeli individuals. BDS targets complicity, not identity. The cultural boycott of Israel should continue until Israel meets the three demands of the BDS call. Israeli cultural institutions can avoid being targeted by the boycott if they meet the three demands of the BDS call and end all forms of support for Israeli violations of international law.
Arika boycotts:
• Performances and exhibitions in Israel, except in certain (see below) situations
• All complicit Israeli cultural institutions
• Cultural products that are commissioned by an official Israeli body or a non-Israeli body that promotes Israel
• Events and activities that are sponsored by an official Israeli body or a complicit institution
• Normalisation Projects
• Fact finding missions that are sponsored by Israel, Israeli institutions or lobby groups
Thus we do not give support to any artists, academics, cultural bodies etc. (either in person or to cultural work of any sort produced by them) who accept funding from the Israeli state or Israeli corporate bodies. We are open to platforming cultural work produced within Israel that either offers explicit and valuable critique of the Israeli state and its military/security policies or is more lateral in nature, yet is nonetheless predicated upon such critiques.
We wish to highlight that there are Israeli nationals who dissent from the racist, genocidal program of the Israeli state and also new migrants living within Israel who are struggling with racism, poverty etc. A pitiless anti-immigrant approach is demonstrated in the detention centres that imprison asylum seekers without any medical care. Migrants have been labelled with the same term applied to Palestinians – infiltrator. As an organisation we are willing to amplify such dissenting voices wherever possible. We believe by doing so we will continue to challenge the abuse of the Palestinian people; the Israeli state relies on curtailing dissenting opinions and maintaining racism within its borders as well as without.
The area of the BDS campaign that especially pertains to the arts is known as PACBI (Palestinian Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel). We believe it is the responsibility of arts organisations and artists in Scotland to participate in PACBI and to hold our sector and our communities to account. Useful reading has been created by AWPS in the document ‘Making Statements Is Not a Risk for Scottish Cultural Organisations’ which explains how there is no legal risk for charities, CICs etc. to stand in explicit solidarity with Palestine.
When arts organisations express solidarity with the pain of war-torn Ukraine but not with Palestine that is white supremacy in action. Racism in action. White lives can be mourned and defended but not those of people of colour. Pushing back against the settler colonialism of Israel needs to be part of a wider movement of opposition to imperialism as a whole. There should not be silence or inaction around the oppression of black, indigenous and people of colour. Our very existence as state and foundation funded arts organisations is entangled with the mechanisms of international capitalism and white supremacy.
We emphasise that we condemn any form of anti-semitism and will never provide a platform for anti-semitic viewpoints.
Further reading on these areas can be found at:
• http://bdsmovement.net/
• https://bdsmovement.net/cultural-boycott
• http://www.scottishpsc.org.uk/
• http://www.scottishfriendsofpalestine.org/
• Nabi Saleh is where I lost my Zionism
• Decolonize Palestine
• On Operation Al Aqsa Flood, Decolonizing Palestine and Debunking Zionist Myths with Rawan Masri and Fathi Nemer of Decolonize Palestine
• “A Dam Against the Motion of History” – Fred Moten on Palestine & the Nation-State of Israel
• Indigenous solidarity with Palestine w/ Uahikea Maile and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
• We cannot cross until we carry each other – editorial
• The No-State Solution