No to Brand Israel at the Edinburgh Festival
The so-called 'International Shalom Festival Gala Concert' is nothing more than an explicit attempt to whitewash the crimes of a state, in this case the state of Israel. Edinburgh Festival Fringe should not be helping to promote an event that is openly being promoted by its sponsors as state propaganda, propaganda for a state that stands accused by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the United Nations and other bodies of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.
The event is organised by the Confederation of Friends of Israel Scotland (CoFIS) and StandWithUs UK who partner with the Israeli Embassy to counter advocacy and campaigning work in support of Palestinian rights. StandWithUs UK helped to establish and launch CoFIS, assistance that included financial contributions. CoFIS is officially affiliated to StandWithUs UK.
A key objective of both CoFIS and StandWithUs is to counter the success of the international movement that supports Palestinian rights through active campaigns for the boycott, divestment and sanctions against the state of Israel and complicit institutions (BDS).
Luke Akehurst of the Blairite Progress Group is also Director of We Believe in Isreal(sic). He writes that "Edinburgh on Wednesday August 17...is probably the most significant pro-Israel event of the year in the United Kingdom".
The Gala Concert begins at 7pm and is scheduled to last for 2 hours 45 minutes. The organisers say:
"The International Shalom Festival is a celebration of the diverse culture, music, art, dance and food of Israel aiming to build cultural bridges and develop international friendship. Comedienne Hadar Galron will host an evening gala concert with Arab, Jewish, Christian, Druze, Bedouin and Samaritan performers from all over Israel. Headlining will be popular group Yamma from Tel Aviv. Come along and enjoy a joyous evening of celebration and hope!"
If you can come along for any part of the day (from 10am) to protest peacefully outside Central Hall, please do so. And please tell all your friends. Edinburgh Festival is not a laudromat for abusive regimes. Don't let them get away with it.
Protest organised by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC). Supporters include Edinburgh Action for Palestine, Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods, Association of Palestinian Communities in Scotland
