Artists drop Berlin festival over Israeli Embassy funding
Four bands from Arab countries, as well as musicians from Finland, UK, pull out because of $600 sponsorship by Jewish state
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Several artists pulled out of a popular Berlin music festival because the Israeli Embassy in Germany provided a financial contribution.
The three-day Berlin Pop-Kultur festival, which runs through Friday, accepted 500 euros, or nearly $600, from the Israeli diplomatic mission.
Israeli artists are among the 70 acts scheduled to perform at the festival.
Four artists from Arab countries including Syria and Egypt pulled out last week, as well as bands from Tunisia and Britain, identified by the Electronic Intifada as Mohammad Abu Hajar of Syria’s Mazzaj Rap Band; Egypt’s Islam Chipsy; Syrian DJ Hello Psychaleppo; Tunisian singer-songwriter Emel Mathlouthi and British experimental dance music collaboration Iklan ft. Law Holt.
“Our stand is not against a culture, but resistance against a discriminatory, colonial government. It is not merely an opinion that we disagree with, but a whole set of oppressive structures, manifesting themselves in the policies of the Israeli state,” Abu Hajar of Syria’s Mazzaj Rap Band said in a Facebook post, according to Ahram Online.
The latest band to announce it was quitting the festival — on Wednesday, its first day — was the Scottish hip hop and rap group Young Fathers. In a statement on Twitter, the group called its move “a tiny act on our behalf in the grand scale of things but one we still believe is worth it.” Young Fathers noted the Israeli government’s logo on the list of festival partners and the group’s solidarity with the Palestinian people.
https://twitter.com/Youngfathers/status/900303821796237312
American musician Thurston Moore, a former member of Sonic Youth, called on the festival to cancel the Israeli Embassy sponsorship “in solidarity with [the] Palestinian call for cultural boycott,” according to Electronic Intifada.
Solidarity with the 6 artists who have so far cancelled their #PK17 appearances. @popkulturberlin: Withdraw yr Israeli embassy partnership!
— Thurston Moore (@nowjazznow) August 22, 2017
Other artists who pulled out of the festival over the embassy sponsorship include the Finnish black metal band Oranssi Pazuzu and the British musician Annie Goh.
“We do not want to endorse any state, governance or agenda; open or hidden. Therefore, in order to distance ourselves from this political reality, we have decided to cancel our performance at the Berlin Pop-Kultur festival,” said the Finnish black metal band.
The Times of Israel Community.