Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA)
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is calling on the NZ Symphony Orchestra conductor, Gemma New to cancel her engagement with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra next January.
PSNA Co-Chair John Minto says New should know that going to conduct the IPO can only be seen as endorsement of Israeli genocide in Gaza.
“The ISO plays concerts with Israeli soldiers in full uniform and puts them on YouTube.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLjucRUyd4Y
“These soldiers are in a military which is conducting mass starvation and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. There is no scope for neutrality, or nonsense slogans like ‘keep politics out of art.”
Minto says PSNA has written to New, but has received no reply.
“We’ve supplied her with details on the Israeli atrocities, even though she would have to be living under a rock to claim she doesn’t know about them.”
“But we have to give her the benefit of the doubt at the moment that she is not aware of the plea from Palestinian civil society for a Boycott, Divest and Sanction campaign against collaboration with Israel in all its forms.”
“Some leading artists, such as Kneecap, Lowkey and Roger Waters, are not only boycotting Israel, but they are actively campaigning to have governments sanction Israel, as the only effective means to achieve peace and justice for the Palestinian people.”
“No amounts of pleading, setting red lines or even recognition of Palestine are going to stop the Israeli war machine,” Minto says.
“We’ve noticed that some New on-line schedules don’t feature her Tel Aviv and Haifa performances. That might mean she has cancelled, or to be less charitable, she is trying to keep her engagements secret. However she is still listed to perform here ”
“We’d love to hear from her, that she’s taken the principled action which Lorde took in 2017, and refused to play Tel Aviv.”
“If not, she, and by extension the NZ Symphony Orchestra, will always be forever tainted by supporting the worst atrocity of the 21st Century.”
John Minto
Co-Chair PSNA
