We, the undersigned artists, media workers, academics and campaigners note that supporters of the State of Israel are planning a so-called "International Shalom Festival" during the forthcoming Edinburgh Fringe. The purpose of this "festival", which includes the Israeli state-funded company Incubator, which was the subject of a successful boycott in Edinburgh in 2014, is to attempt to undermine the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against the Israeli apartheid state.
BDS has been called for by the overwhelming majority of political and civic organisations representing the Palestinian people. In his testimony in support of BDS, Archbishop Desmond Tutu says: "I know firsthand that Israel has created an apartheid reality within its borders and through its occupation. The parallels to my own beloved South Africa are painfully stark indeed."
The "Shalom Festival" is part of the State of Israel's attempts to counter BDS. It claims to support "peaceful coexistence" in Israel/Palestine, while whitewashing Israel's violations of Palestinian rights. This is the language of the Israeli state itself, and is code for continued occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people and the ongoing denial of the right of return of millions of Palestinian refugees.
We call for a boycott of the misnamed "Shalom Festival", which promotes, not "peace", but the apartheid State of Israel and its occupation.
Ken Loach (filmmaker); Paul Laverty (scriptwriter); Gavin Mitchell (actor); Wael Shawish (vice-chair, Association of Palestinian Community, Scotland); Hugh Humphries (secretary, Scottish Friends of Palestine); Levette Callander (chair, Scottish Palestinian Forum); Rev. Canon Dr Nicholas Taylor (vice chair, Scottish Palestinian Forum); Sofiah MacLeod (chair, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign); Dr Douglas Chalmers (vice-president, Universities and Colleges Union, in personal capacity); Liz Elkind (Jewish activist); Dr Henry Maitles (Jewish activist); Pauline Goldsmith (actor); John Bett (writer, actor, director); Anji Darcy (actor, singer); Tam Dean Burn (actor); Clare McGarry (theatre director); Robert Rae (film and theatre director); Nicola Roy (actor); Dr Mark Brown (theatre critic); Dr Iain Ferguson (social work academic)
Dr Eurig Scandrett (senior lecturer in public sociology); San Ghanny Choir, Edinburgh; Karen Douglas (theatre director); Liam O'Hare (journalist); Craig MacLean (photographer); Jim Aitken (writer); Jane Frere (artist)
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