FREE PALESTINE
RESOURCES FOR ARTISTS

STANDING IN SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIANS
WHAT CAN WE DO?

 
 

A STATEMENT FROM THE UPSETTERS

We have been heartbroken by the ongoing events in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank. THE UPSETTERS unequivocally stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine. We are witnessing an ethnic cleansing of the indigenous population and to remain silent at this time is to be complicit in a genocide.

We are incredibly disappointed by silence of our theatre industry. Israel is funded and supported by the British government. They are supplied weapons manufactured here in the UK. Both historically and currently, British imperialism has played a direct role in shaping the events that have taken place. We believe that the arts and culture sector must use our position to speak up and to try to influence the Government to act.

Our sector claims to hold anti-racist values but, as long as they remain silent, that is a lie.

We must speak out against the genocide that is taking place. We must call for an immediate ceasefire. We must call for an end to the occupation of Palestine.

Silence is not an option.

We understand that not everyone knows how to respond or what to do in these times so we have compiled this list of resources, actions and information that we hope can offer some support or guidance.

We hope to use this page to bring together links, resources, packs and information in to one easy to access place.

This only scratches the surface of what is out there and we have tried to not overwhelm with choice and options. But over the past month, countless incredible resources have been shared with us and we wanted to create a single place to find them all for other artists who may feel hopeless in this moment.

If you find this useful, please share widely within the arts and culture sector. If you feel that something important is missing, please do let us know.

All images from the Justseeds Graphic Care Package.

AMPLIFY

Here are a list of journalists, media outlets, activists and organisations on the ground in Gaza and elsewhere who are providing news, updates and acts of resistance. We recommend following them and amplifying their voices.

Journalists in Gaza

Other Accounts to Follow

Organising in the UK

There are many more accounts that you can follow. These are just a few suggestions.

PROTEST

If you can, take to the streets, stand in solidarity with those in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank.

We also acknowledge that not everyone can participate in demonstrations for many reasons. There are many forms of resistance. But we encourage you to share these events in the UK and beyond.

In the UK, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign maintain a list of all activities and events that are being organised. The next national march is happening on Saturday 9 March 2024 in Central London.

pledge

Artists for Palestine have a pledge that states:

We support the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality. In response to the call from Palestinian artists and cultural workers for a cultural boycott of Israel, we pledge to accept neither professional invitations to Israel, nor funding, from any institutions linked to its government until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.

Agree to the Artists’ Pledge for Palestine:
Artists’ Pledge for Palestine

You can also sign the Artists for Palestine Open Letter: Open Letter from October 2023

Read more about the Open Letter and the 2,000 artists who have signed it in the Independent.

lobby

Contact your local MP to demand a ceasefire now! It only takes two minutes and you do not need to be an expert. But a few words from a constituent can make all the difference.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign have put together an incredibly simple form that will find your MP, compose a draft email for you to review and edit, and then send it to your MP on your behalf.

Demand a #CeasefireNOW and #StopArmingIsrael: Email your MP

DONATE

Donating to groups who are currently working in Gaza is incredibly important. It can also help to organise fundraisers or encourage your friends and family to donate.

Here are some organisations that you may consider donating to:

These are just a few organisations that are currently working in Gaza. You may also want to considering supporting organisations that help to fight antisemitism and Islamophobia, or organisations that support the mental health needs of people in this incredible difficult time.

BOYCOTT

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.

From the BDS website:

Israel is occupying and colonising Palestinian land, discriminating against Palestinian citizens of Israel and denying Palestinian refugees the right to return to their homes. Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the BDS call urges action to pressure Israel to comply with international law.

BDS is now a vibrant global movement made up of unions, academic associations, churches and grassroots movements across the world. Since its launch in 2005, BDS is having a major impact and is effectively challenging international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.

Targeted consumer boycotts are convincing retailers across the world to stop selling products from companies profiting from Israel’s crimes. Many Israeli exporters complain that it is getting harder for them to export their products.

The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) calls for a boycott of Israeli and international companies that are complicit in violations of Palestinian rights. Virtually all Israeli companies are complicit to some degree in Israel’s system of occupation and apartheid. We focus our boycotts on a small number of companies and products for maximum impact. We focus on companies that play a clear and direct role in Israel’s crimes and where we think we can have an impact.

The BNC is currently encouraging consumer boycotts of the following products and brands:

  • Hewlett Packard

  • Siemens

  • AXA

  • SodaStream

  • Puma

  • Ahava

  • Texaco

  • Chevron

  • Caltex

  • Carrefour

  • Israeli Fruit and Vegetables

Find out more on the Know What to Boycott page.

Follow BDS National Committee on social media for the latest changes and updates.

CHARITIES

Here is a document created by Arts Workers for Palestine Scotland on charities making statements:
Making Statements: Not a Risk For Charities

This is relevant to Scottish based institutions. Regulations in England are slightly different.

Here is an abridged version of the Charity Commission guidelines in England:
Charity Commission on campaigning and political activity

FREEDOM THEATRE

As artists and theatre workers, we also encourage you to follow and support Freedom Theatre.

From the Freedom Theatre website:

The Freedom Theatre is a theatre and cultural centre in Jenin refugee camp, occupied Palestine. We stage professional theatre productions, hold theatre workshops in the refugee camp, Jenin town and villages, offer training in acting, pedagogy and photography, and publish books, exhibitions and short films.

Since we opened our doors in 2006, we have made theatre and visual art available to every young person in Jenin refugee camp. Our work has made Jenin refugee camp known in Palestine and internationally for innovative, thought-provoking theatre and media productions. We have created a generation of artists and leaders, who one day will be at the forefront of the Palestinian liberation movement.

Follow on X / Twitter (@freedom_theatre) or Donate via their website.

read

It is important for all of us to educate ourselves. But some may find the long and complex history to be scary to tackle. Here are some selected readings which may be useful in learning about Palestine.

These serve as a Palestine 101:

And here are some useful readings about the current genocide in Gaza:

There are so many more things to read but we hope these can help you to get started.

listen

It is important that we listen to Palestinian voices but also to amplify their artistic work. Here are some useful things you may consider listening to:

There are also loads of Palestinian musicians that we recommend you seek out.

We also highly recommend listening to this episode of the Mondoweiss podcast:

This episode, hosted by Mohammed El-Kurd, features Raeda Taha, a Palestinian playwright, actress and former press secretary for Chairman Yasser Arafat between 1987 and 1994. They discuss, amongst other things, how arts and culture can play a role in liberation struggles.

WATCH

The current events in Palestine have prompted a large number of filmmakers to make their films about Palestine available to watch online for free.

A large selection of Palestinian films were released on the Palestine Films website.

Here are some additional film, short and documentary resources:

There are so many films, videos, documentary, short films made by the people of Palestine. This is just a small selection. We haven’t watched them all but we wanted to share a few that you may find useful.

We also recommend watching some current items on the imminent genocide that is taking place:

We recognise that everyone has had so many videos, from media appearance to horrific footage of the atrocities in Gaza, so we wanted to give space for alternative forms film.

But we wanted to highlight these items in particular as being brave, honest and insightful.


If you have found this page helpful, please check out the amazing All Out For Palestine - Digital Action Toolkit by the Palestinian Feminist Collective. It offers significantly more resources than have been included here.