FKA twigs, Arca and Seun Kuti are among hundreds of musicians who’ve newly signed up to support the ongoing Musicians For Palestine campaign.
Declaring that "silence is not an option," the latest musicians to join the Musicians For Palestine pledge have called on their peers within the music industry to refuse "to perform at Israel’s complicit cultural institutions" and stand "firm in your support of the Palestinian people and their human right to sovereignty and freedom."
UB40, Anti-Flag, Zoë Mc Pherson, Marianne Faithfull, Alvin Curran, Kara-Lis Coverdale and Blonde Redhead are among the other artists who’ve signed up to support the initiative, which was launched in May last year, after Israeli forces killed at least 243 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded more than 1900 others. 12 people in Israel were also killed by Palestinian armed groups during the same period of fighting. Last month, the Musicians For Palestine campaign says, Israeli forces killed 47 Palestinians in Gaza, including at least 16 children.
"We believe that now, more than ever, is the time to respect the Palestinian peaceful picket line by declining invitations to events that are subsidised or sponsored by the Israeli state, its lobby groups or complicit cultural institutions," read a statement shared by the team behind Musicians For Palestine. "Such events can only legitimise Israeli apartheid policies."
Radio Al Hara and the Al-jisser cultural space, which are both based in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, are currently broadcasting a four-hour one-off show today (September 27) featuring musicians who’ve voiced their support for Musicians For Palestine. You can tune in here to listen live with the show set to finish at 8pm BST.
Find the full list of the latest signatories to Musicians For Palestine here.