Artists on the Frontline. “14 Demands Against Artistic Censorship & Genocide of Palestinian Culture.” Global Performance Studies, vol. 7, no. 1, 2024, https://doi.org/10.33303/gpsv7n1a229
Artists on the Frontline
Reproduced with permission from https://www.theculturalintifada.com/demands, where they can be read in full. Each demand includes examples of actions people worldwide have taken, celebrating what has been achieved, and inspiring this present call to action. Links point you toward the rich individual and collective knowledge of others. We also provide personal testimonies from artists, that can be read publicly as part of the project The Revolution’s Promise.
These fourteen demands are collated in response to the question “What can we do?” often asked when artists are attacked or when Palestine is on the front page of the news. The aim is to provide a framework for international artists, activists, and cultural organisations to mobilise around and the values that should be embedded in any action.
They echo the call for action from across the Palestinian arts sector and are embedded in the decades-long work, research, and action of artists, academics, activists, journalists, protest movements, and human rights groups.
Each demand highlights a different area of Palestinian cultural genocide, censorship, and attacks on Palestinian artists and their allies, with a particular focus on Gaza, West Bank, and in countries that fund, arm, and support Israel. Links point you toward the rich individual and collective knowledge of others. We also provide personal testimonies from artists that can be read publicly as part of the project The Revolution’s Promise.
Each demand includes examples of actions people worldwide have taken, celebrating what has been achieved and inspiring this present call to action.
The focus here is on Palestinian artists and culture, but please note that many of the issues affect all Palestinians and other artists globally. We hope this contributes to the larger movement for equality, justice, and liberation for Palestinians and all worldwide. Whether on the streets, in direct action, or on the stage, we urge you to use the arts to hold power to account, and speak out against the root causes of injustice.
We encourage you to use these demands for statements, protests or actions.
Image by Kael Abello, from https://www.theculturalintifada.com/posters
Break the silence, uphold the truth, and let Palestinians lead on history, culture, and lived experiences.
Stand against Israel’s targeting and murder of Palestinian artists and take action to halt global manufacturing and sale of weapons.
Demand the immediate release of cultural workers imprisoned by Israel and an end to the global targeting of artists and activists through criminalisation.
Stop the eradication of Palestinian cultural heritage and knowledge through settlement expansion and targeted destruction, bulldozing, and bombing.
Stop appropriating and stealing Palestinian culture and return books, artefacts, and all objects that have been taken.
Understand and advocate for war crimes to be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court, including the persecution of artists and the destruction of cultural heritage.
Stop asking Palestinian artists to denounce resistance tactics, including armed struggle, a right inscribed in international law.
Demand an end to Israel’s Gaza blockade, control of Palestinian borders, and restrictions on movement. Advocate for global travel rights, free from discrimination and visas.
Stand up to those who silence or cancel Palestinian artists and their allies and reclaim cultural spaces.
Say no to complicity and join the Cultural Boycott as part of the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Sever funding ties with companies, corporations, and banks that invest in and facilitate Israel’s war crimes and violations of Palestinian rights.
Respect Palestinian artists by paying for work, removing political stipulations for funding and factor in the additional costs faced.
Learn about Anti-Palestinian Racism and put an end to the ways this manifests in cultural spaces.
Say no to all forms of discrimination, racism, and religious hate, building an intersectional movement for equality, justice, and liberation for all.