Arts and Culture Leaders including Tilda Swinton, Charles Dance, Kara Walker, Nan Goldin Call for a Ceasefire in Gaza

More than two thousand names, including star actors and artists such as Tilda Swinton, Kara Walker, Nan Goldin, Barbara Kruger, called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Additionally, a second letter warning art organizations about Israel’s aggression in Gaza was opened for signature yesterday and was signed by hundreds of artists.
Text opened for signature by the Artists for Palestine initiative, accused governments of “aiding and abetting” Israel’s “war crimes” in Gaza and said Palestinians were facing “collective punishment on an unimaginable scale”. It called for an end to governments’ military and political support for Israel’s actions.
“We are witnessing a crime and a catastrophe,” the text said, adding that Gaza has been reduced to rubble by Israel and that “the specter of death” hangs over the region.

In the text, which also referred to the Israeli Defense Minister’s term “human animals”, the support of Western governments for Israel was described as follows: ” Our governments are not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them. There will come a time when they are held to account for their complicity. But for now, while condemning every act of violence against civilians and every infringement of international law whoever perpetrates them, our obligation is to do all we can to bring an end to the unprecedented cruelty being inflicted on Gaza.
We support the global movement against the destruction of Gaza and the mass displacement of the Palestinian people. We demand that our governments end their military and political support for Israel’s actions.
We call for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of Gaza’s crossings to allow humanitarian aid to enter unhindered.”

The text, signed by artists from various fields such as actors, writers, painters, directors, photographers and sculptors, also included the signatures of Tilda Swinton, Game of Thrones actors Charles Dance and Liam Cunningham, Harry Potter actor Peter Mullan and others.

WARNING TO ART ORGANIZATIONS

Following the “Artists for Palestine” initiative warning governments, a second signature initiative calling on art organizations to react was launched yesterday.
The text, signed by more than 150 artists, curators, musicians, writers and publishers, criticizes art institutions for their “institutional silence” on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The open letter, signed by Nan Goldin, Tomás Saraceno, Mark Leckey, Peter Doig, Laure Prouvost, Anthea Hamilton, Issy Wood, Kara Walker and Jeremy Deller, stated: “We support Palestinian liberation and call for an end to the killing and harming of all civilians, an immediate ceasefire, the passage of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the end of the complicity of our governing bodies in grave human rights violations and war crimes.”