FRANKIE Boyle and Tilda Swinton are among the celebrities calling for the ban against Palestine Action to be dropped and for the UK Government to stop supplying arms to Israel.
On Sunday, from Glastonbury’s Other Stage, singer-songwriter Nadine Shah read out a statement against the UK Government’s decision to ban campaign group Palestine Action.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has published a draft order which would the group as terrorist organisations in the UK, meaning supporting or joining them could lead to up to 14 years in jail.
In an open letter, leading artists including musicians Paul Weller, Massive Attack’s Robert del Naja, Brian Eno and US artist Reggie Watts have joined Shah.
Actors Steve Coogan and Billy Howle are among those signing the statement which states: “Palestine Action is intervening to stop a genocide. It is acting to save life.”
Writers including Kamila Shamsie, Laline Paull and Pankaj Mishra have also signed, and said: “Labelling non-violent direct action as 'terrorism’ is an abuse of language and an attack on democracy.”
They are joined by visual artists Jeremy Deller and Florence Peake, comedians Boyle, Francesca Martinez and Tez Ilyas.
The open letter concludes: “The real threat to the life of the nation comes not from Palestine Action but from Home Secretary Yvonne Cooper’s efforts to ban it”.
In addition to the joint statement, Brian Eno said: “On the one hand, 60,000 dead. On the other, a splash of paint on a plane. Which one are you most troubled by?”
Poet Alice Oswald commented: “Thank goodness for those who break minor laws in an attempt to uphold law itself".
A spokesperson for Artists for Palestine UK said: “Never before has a decision like this been challenged so immediately by artists and so widely across the country. If the Government persists with this ban, it will face anger and opposition on a massive scale.”
The artists’ statement in full
"Palestine Action is intervening to stop a genocide. It is acting to save life. We deplore the government’s decision to proscribe it. Labelling non-violent direct action as ‘terrorism’ is an abuse of language and an attack on democracy.
"The real threat to the life of the nation comes not from Palestine Action but from the home secretary’s efforts to ban it. We call on the government to withdraw its proscription of Palestine Action and to stop arming Israel."
