German music festival Pop-Kultur Berline has finally dropped its long-standing collaboration with the Israeli apartheid regime following considerable pressure from renowned world artists.
Over twenty world artists and musicians announced, in an open letter, their persistent boycott of the Pop-Kultur Berlin, one of the biggest supporters and partners of the city’s Cultural Department of the Embassy of ‘Israel’.
Many dissenting artists around the globe had previously criticized Pop-Kultur’s anti-Arab racism and its vivid and unprofessional attitude towards festival artists, particularly those of different colours.
Artists’ newly declared decision met urgent appeals raised by the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement since 2017, in addition to the ongoing protests from liberal Zionist Israelis against judicial reform.
Although the six-year BDS campaign against Pop-Kultur Berlin has yielded tangible results, the news has alarmingly provoked German authorities, precisely Berlin’s Deputy Mayor Carlos Lehder, who described the interrupting artists’ decisions as “disgusted”, threatening to launch a war against BDS activities.
BDS Movement said the good news came six years after the first artist pulled out of the anti-Palestinian event over its complicit in Israel’s embassy, hoping “the festival continues its ethical stance by not partnering with apartheid Israel in the future”.
The movement yet doubts the possible continuity of Pop-Kultur Berlin’s withdrawal from Israel’s partnership. Last year, the festival irrefutably concealed the resumption of its partnership with the Israeli embassy, claiming it was only agreed last-minute.
“Typical of the festival’s unprofessionalism, evasiveness and deceit, organizers have told the media that no Israeli artist wanted embassy support this year,” BDS reported.
“However, given the festival’s actual record of dishonesty, racism and unprofessionalism, we call on all participating artists to demand Pop-Kultur publicly state whether it has suspended or ended its partnership with apartheid Israel, or if it is merely attempting to conceal it,” wondered an artist.
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