More than 1,300 actors and artists have signed a letter condemning what they call censorship against speaking out on Palestine, with the recent firing of Scream VII star Melissa Barrera cited among the incidents.
The letter was published by Artists for Palestine UK on Thursday. Among the signees are Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, Harriet Walter (Succession, Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education), Siobhán McSweeney (Derry Girls), Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You), Youssef Kerkour (Napoleon), Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls, Bridgerton), Lolly Adefope (Ghosts), and Emma Seligman (director, Bottoms).
The letter, addressed to the “arts and culture sector,” accuses “many cultural institutions in Western countries” of “systematically repressing, silencing and stigmatising Palestinian voices and perspectives.”
“This includes targeting and threatening the livelihoods of artists and arts workers who express solidarity with Palestinians, as well as cancelling performances, screenings, talks, exhibitions and book launches,” it goes on.
The letter cites various incidents, most focusing on the UK arts and literature scene, but also including the firing of Barerra from Scream VII. The news broke on Nov. 21 that she was dropped from the sequel due to a series of social media posts on the conflict in Gaza, with the firing causing a stir of controversy on social media. It was revealed shortly after that co-star Jenna Ortega would also not be appearing in Scream VII, though that’s reportedly because of scheduling issues with Wednesday.
Other examples of censorship listed include the cancellation of lauded artist Ai Weiwei’s London exhibition after his social media posts about Gaza; the firing of editor-in-chief David Velasco from arts publication Artforum; and Palestinian author Adania Shibli being disinvited from receiving the LiBeraturpreis award at the Frankfurt book fair. The letter also cites a statement from the United Nations titled “speaking out on Gaza / Israel must be allowed.”
“Despite this pressure, artists in their thousands are following their conscience and continuing to speak out,” the letter reads. “Freedom of expression, as enshrined in the Human Rights Act and the European Convention of Human Rights is the backbone of our creative lives, and fundamental to democracy.”
The letter lists various calls to action to the arts and culture sector, including publicly demanding a permanent ceasefire, amplifying the work of Palestinian artists, and refusing collaborations “with institutions or bodies that are complicit in severe human rights violations.”
“To stay silent in the face of mass injustice and worsening humanitarian crisis would be an abrogation of moral duty,” it continues. “To actively silence the principled artists and workers who do fulfil this responsibility is a failure to meet legal obligations on freedom of expression and anti-discrimination.”
You can read the full letter here.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
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