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German Music Festival Demands Band Young Fathers Reject BDS

June 9, 2018

“We approached the Young Fathers, in order to also receive an unambiguous disassociation from every form of antisemitism and racism,” event organizers stated.

 The music and arts festival Ruhrtriennale on Thursday called on the Scottish band Young Fathers to withdraw its support for the boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) campaign targeting the Jewish state ahead of the band’s slated appearance in August.

The Ruhrtriennale wrote in a Facebook post that it “expressly distances itself from the ‘Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions’ campaign (BDS) and its direct or indirect goals. We approached the Young Fathers, in order to also receive an unambiguous disassociation from every form of antisemitism and racism.”

If Young Fathers refuses to reject BDS, it is unclear if the Ruhrtriennale, which is located Ruhr region in West Germany, will disinvite the band. Young Fathers pulled out of the 2017 Berlin-based Pop-Kultur festival because the Israeli embassy sponsored an artist from Israel with a 500 euro donation.

The international Ruhrtriennale  festival will take place in the city of Bochum. According to Ruhrtriennale  website, “Music, dance, theatre, performance and fine arts in the former industrial buildings of the Ruhr Area: that’s the Ruhrtriennale. The venues of the Ruhrtriennale are the region’s outstanding industrial monuments, transformed each year into spectacular sites for impressive arts productions.”

The band wrote at the time: “Young Fathers have a long history of opposing any form of hatred including racism and anti-semitism and we support the principle of a peaceful solution that allows Palestinians the right to return to a safe homeland and that allows Israelis and Palestinians of all faiths (and none) to live together in peace. This is a very tiny act on our behalf in the grand scale of things but one we still believe is worth it.”

The Ruhrbarone website first broke the story about Young Fathers and Ruhrtriennale’s opposition to BDS. According to Ruhrbarone, “in the past the bank [Young Fathers] participated many times in the antisemitic action group [BDS], whose goal is the scientific and cultural isolation of Israel.”

Read More: Jerusalem Post

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