Cornelius Cardew leading a demonstration in the 1970s that Nazis Have No Right To Organise!

In an article in the Morning Star, Ben Lunn draws attention to the way cultural expressions of solidarity with Palestinians are being censored by Israeli-sponsored "lawfare".

Referring to the thuggish behaviour of "UK Lawyers for Israel", Ben Lunn writes:

"This manoeuvring is extremely troubling. However it does demonstrate how important cultural, and ideological, battles are. As was witnessed shortly after invasion of Russia into Ukraine in 2022, culture became a battleground of ideas where the very question of the performing Russian music came to the forefront. But what makes this development more concerning is it is being pushed predominantly from above, through organisations which we cannot verify as legitimate organisations, and not just PR fronts to divert from the atrocities committed by the Netanyahu government and his stooges.

"Thankfully organisations like PalMusic UK have managed to host events promoting Palestinian culture, but other big institutions like the Barbican have been threatened by UKLFI suggesting they are in breach of 1986 Public Order Act.

"One question readers may be asking is: if this organisation and supporters are so against the concert, why do they not just picket/protest against the performance? What is cannily done by UKLFI is exploit the fact that many venues are often charitable organisations.

"This means that part of the duty of being a charitable organisation is to be 'apolitical', in addition to many other conditions which organisations need to follow to be eligible for funding. A statement released by UKFLI on November 18 argued that 'Morley College, a registered charity, could also be in danger of breaching its charitable objectives.'

"What can be seen from this development is artists, and organisations who support them or hire them in Britain, are not free to speak their minds. Though many have been aware of this for a long period of time, given the previous history of blacklisting suspected communist artists, it has not been this naked and clear to see.

The UKFLI statement on this issue details their accusations against the concert, which suggest: 'The CCCT concert and its publicity appears to be a political campaign for the government of Gaza, Hamas.' Similarly, Caroline Turner, the director of UKFLI, included in her statement the words: 'It is a shame that the Cornelius Cardew Concert Trust appears to have been hijacked by anti-Israel activists.'"

Ben Lunn continues: "The conflation between solidarity with Palestinians and sympathies with terrorism has been a longstanding argument of many critics of the pro-Palestinian movement in Britain (and internationally) and, as already mentioned, the precarious circumstances venues find themselves in makes it very easy to silence any art that is made in solidarity with Palestine and the Palestinians.

"Much as with artists supporting Vietnam in the '60s, fighting apartheid in South Africa in the '80s and earlier, or artists condemning the atrocities of the invasion of Iraq in the early 2000s, artists need the freedom to speak on such issues. Ultimately, artists should be free to speak on any issue they desire - as at the end of the day, the quality of the art and the strength of the idea will give it the longevity it deserves. Good art challenges.

"Similarly, the simple act of performing works by Palestinians or performers dedicating a concert to victims of war in Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen, or any people in conflict is not criminal."

Ben Lunn concludes: "We should send our solidarity to the Cornelius Cardew Concerts Trust, and other organisations fighting the good fight."

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