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Protesting Shakespeare's Globe Theatre 'complicity in human right violations'inminds On Saturday 28th April 2012, Palestinian rights activists braved the wet weather to picket outside Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London in protest at the Globe's decision to invite Israel's National Theatre, Habima, to perform The Merchant of Venice in its Globe to Globe festival in May.  Practically everyone entering the theatre took a leaflet Habima, in contravention of international law, actively support Israel's illegal settlement project. Where as some Israeli artists have refused to perform in the illegal settlements, arguing that they would be breaking international law if they did so, Habima has never had any such qualms and regularly sends its actors to perform for the settlements. They even promised the Israeli minister of culture that they would "deal with any problems hindering such performances", meaning that they would act as the regimes enforcers and exert pressure on any actors who take a moral stance. All three of the Globe's main entrances and exits were covered by over a dozen activists giving out leaflets and engaging the public who were overwhelmingly supportive (apart from one zionist who totally lost it and started shouting obscenities at everyone until the staff of the Globe came rushing out wondering what the commotion was).  The message was clear - 'Boycott Israel' The reaction from the Globe was mixed. One members of staff took it upon herself to confiscate and destroy leaflets from members of the public as they entered the theatre! On the other hand the Globe's artistic director Dominic Dromgoole at one stage came out to chat and said he was sorry we had such bad weather for our demo.  Dominic Dromgoole, the artistic director of the Globe, talking to Palestinian rights activists Perhaps Dominic Dromgoole should take the lead from his predecessor, the first artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe, Mark Rylance who along with 36 other actors and directors including David Calder, Trevor Griffiths, Sonja Linden, Roger Lloyd Pack, Cherie Lunghi, Jonathan Miller, Emma Thompson and Harriet Walter, wrote an open letter to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre which read: "..by inviting Habima, the Globe is associating itself with policies of exclusion practised by the Israeli state and endorsed by its national theatre company. We ask the Globe to withdraw the invitation so that the festival is not complicit with human rights violations and the illegal colonisation of occupied land."
 In Shakespeare's own words "If you prick us do we not bleed?"  Leafleting the exhibition entrance  Engaging with the public  The leaflet  Globe to Globe festival marred by Habima's presence  Sunshine or rain, the protest must go on!  The public were overwhelmingly supportive of the cultural boycott   leafleting the booking office entrance  Wet and windy, the weather did not deter the activists   
Source: www.inminds.com   Related ArticlesAlso Of InterestPage URL: http://inminds.co.uk/article.php?id=10543
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 [all videos (over 200)..] Featured MP3 Podcast  "[Deportation at the airport] We saw the injured [Turkish] men going through.. a lot had a leg cut out of their trousers or an arm cut out of their top. It had been cut out to treat their wounds.. they were covered in blood, blood that had been there for three days, and some of them had wounds that were still bleeding.. What upset me most was seeing the dozen men, one after another, hobbling across the terminal, with a bandaged foot. I couldn't ask them why so many of them had a bandaged foot, I couldn't ask them what had happened, because if they spoke or if any of us spoke to them the Israelis beat the injured person.. We later found out that they had these injuries on the tops of their feet from when the troops came down from the helicopter on the Mavi Marmara, and they came down firing - they had been shot from above. Some of the men that were killed were shot at close range - head and chest, but a dozen of the men who were shot, among 59 people who were shot, they were shot at the tops of their feet - the bullets were coming down.. They weren't given a wheelchair or a pair of crutches, and if any of the other passengers stood up and tried to offer [help].. that person was dragged away and smacked by these Israelis. The Israeli soldiers sat on the floor, laughed and sniggered and made every one of these Turkish men hobble and hop all the way across, some 200 metres, everyone of them, one by one, made to do that purely for the sick amusement of the Israeli soldiers." Survivor of the flotilla massacre speaks candidly of her experience Ratstar Centre London, 22 July 2010 [46min / 42Mb] [need flash]
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