"WE WILL PICKET THE PROMS" -PROTEST AGAINST THE ISRAELI PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Thursday, August 11, 2011 at 11:51PM Dear all,
Here is BRICUP's (British Committee for Universities in Palestine) latest press release, attached in Word format and
below as plain text.
Send your protest emails to Roger Wright c/o his assistant:
yvette.pusey@bbc.co.uk <mailto:yvette.pusey@bbc.co.uk>
Hard copy letters to:
Roger Wright,
Controller BBC Radio 3
Director BBC Proms,
Broadcasting House,
Portland Place
London W1B 1DJ
from:
Sue Blackwell
on behalf of BRICUP
*BRICUP*
*British Committee for Universities of Palestine*
*PRESS RELEASE 7th August 2011*
*for immediate release*
**
*"We will picket the Proms": BRICUP calls on 'music-lovers of conscience' to
boycott the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
BRICUP, the organisation promoting academic and cultural boycott of Israel
within the UK, today called on promenaders to shun the Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra when it plays at the Royal Albert Hall on 1st September.
BRICUP was responding to the open letter sent to the Proms organisers on July
18th by PACBI, its Palestinian counterpart.PACBI referred to "the IPO's
complicity in whitewashing Israel's persistent violations of international law
and human rights", mentioning specifically the IPO's services to the Israeli
army dating back to the ethnic cleansing of the Nakba in 1948 and the
occupations of 1967, and continuing up to the present day: "the IPO proudly
announces its partnership with the army under a scheme whereby special concerts
for Israeli soldiers are organized at their army outposts".On behalf of the
leading Palestinian musical and cultural organisations, PACBI called on the BBC
to withdraw its invitation to the IPO.
BRICUP wrote its own letter to Roger Wright, Director of the Proms, on 31st
July, attaching a copy of PACBI's Open Letter for good measure. In it BRICUP's
chair, Professor Jonathan Rosenhead, wrote: "By inviting the IPO, a pillar of
the Israeli state system and of its cultural propaganda campaign, you provide
the Israeli government, perpetrator of the Cast Lead invasion of Gaza and of so
many other violations of international law and of human rights, with the support
that they crave. Cancel the concert!"
This was Mr Wright's reply from the BBC:
Dear Dr Blackwell
Thank you for your e-mail.
I am sorry that you feel as you do about the invitation we have extended
this year to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. I can assure you that
the invitation to the orchestra is a purely musical one, giving the
audience the opportunity to hear this fine orchestra during this year's
Proms, not least during the 75th birthday year of Zubin Mehta. I
recognise your feelings on this issue, but at the same time I trust that
you will still be able to appreciate many of the BBC Proms, if not the
concert on September 1st.
Yours sincerely
Roger Wright
Controller, BBC Radio 3 and Director, BBC Proms
"This is no surprise to anyone who knows what the BBC is like regarding
Palestine", said Dr. Sue Blackwell, one of 19 people who pursued an appeal to
the BBC Trust concerning bias in the Panorama programme about the Israeli
assault on the Mavi Marmara."The BBC would not even screen the Disasters
Emergency Committee appeal for civilians in Gaza who had had their homes and
schools bombed in Operation Cast Lead, and they recently bleeped the word
'Palestine' out of a rap performance by Mic Righteous."
BRICUP's Chris Burns-Cox."They are mistaken if they think we will just go away.
We are now calling on all music-lovers of conscience to boycott this Prom, and
to call on the BBC to cancel it.We will be picketing and leafleting outside the
Royal Albert Hall on 1st September".
Prof. Rosenhead said: "For years now the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has
been promoting 'Brand Israel', a deliberate PR campaign to divert people's gaze
from what they are doing to Palestinians. The idea is to craft a new image by
focusing on Israel's cultural and scientific achievements. This Prom concert by
the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra is part of the Brand Israel campaign."
*******************************************
1. Details of the Prom appear on the BBC website here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on/2011/september-01/73
2. The PACBI (Palestinian BDS campaign) call for academic and cultural
boycott of Israel:
http://pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=869
3. PACBI's open letter: "Out of Tune with Human Rights"
BBC Proms: Cancel Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Invitation
http://www.pacbi.org/etemplate.php?id=1670
4. BRICUP's letter to Roger Wright is attached.
5. For further information contact:
Jonathan Rosenhead 07969 961775
(in the UK till Aug 17th)
Sue Blackwell
sue.blackwell@gmail.com
0792 995 3893
(out of the country until 14th August so e-mail contact
preferred)
*www.bricup.org.uk*
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ISRAEL PROPERTY EXHIBITION A DESERTED FLOP!
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2011 AT 11:28PM
Report by Isvestia
http://londonbds.org/2011/07/05/israel-property-exhibition-a-deserted-flop/
Sunday 26 June 2011
On one of the hottest days of the summer, human rights campaigners assembled outside the Israel Property & Investment Exhibition at the up-market Regents Park Marriott Hotel near Swiss Cottage in North West London.
Inside, Israeli property companies had hired space to entice the public to buy real estate. Outside, Palestinian rights campaigners, along with the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), created a highly visual display with flags, placards, signs and banners which had a simple message: ‘Stop Stealing Palestinian Land.’
Campaigners spoke to and handed out a variety of literature to visitors, hotel guests and the general public informing them about Israeli Apartheid, illegal settlements and the theft of Palestinian land.
Within a short time, one thing became obvious: There were very few - if any -people interested in buying real estate in Israel!
Over the two hours leading up to the keynote address by the exhibition’s organisers, Palestinian rights campaigners counted and observed no more than a small handful of people going into the exhibition; and those that did could not but help notice the human rights campaigners outside the hotel.
An activist who gained admission to the property exhibition, spoke to exhibitors, as well as collected brochures and reported back that they were the only person present.
Orthodox economists are fond of saying you cannot buck the market; if that’s true, then the Israel Property Exhibition gives us an indication of what the market is thinking: People do not believe that buying property in Israel is a safe investment for the future
APJP
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