More than 600 musicians and DJs from a broad selection of music genres ranging from dance to rock, have pledged to refuse gig requests in Israel.
Their promise not to play in the country is in support of a pro-Palestine petition that was launched today under the hashtag: #MusiciansForPalestine.
Alongside the petition of artists who are refusing to play in Israel, there is also a letter that demands “justice, dignity and the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people and all who are fighting colonial dispossession and violence across the planet.”
Those artists taking part are asked to not perform “at Israel’s complicit cultural institutions” as a means of supporting the Palestinian people, and their right to freedom during attacks from Israel.
Participating artists so far include the likes of A-Trak, Caterina Barbieri, Cypress Hill, DJ Snake, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Habibi Funk, India Jordan, KMRU, Juliana Huxtable, Lowkey, LSDXOXO, Muqata’a, Nicolas Jaar, NoName, Patti Smith, Pharoahe Monch, Rage Against The Machine, Run The Jewels, Talib Kweli, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, VTSS and ZULI.
The letter comes after a ceasefire to an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas (an Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip), which according to local press saw over 250 people killed as a result of fighting. Some of those killed were civilians who did not willingly take any part in the conflict.
This is not the only movement in protest of the war, electronic music communities around the world have set up initiatives in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. NTS Radio, Radio AlHara, and Root Radio, have unveiled special programming, and this weekend R3 Soundsystem is hosting a 24-hour radio show as part of a drive to stop UK arms sales to Israel.
You can find out more about #MusiciansForPalestine from HERE
H/T: Resident Advisor
