British opera company canceled the performance in Israel after employee protests

British opera company canceled the performance in Israel after employee protests

The Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO), one of the most respected cultural institutions of the UK, has canceled its planned performance of "Tosca" in Israel after there was a broad counter -reaction from the staff.

relay and creative differences

In a recently published open letter, 182 employees rejected the implementation of current or future appearances in Israel due to the war in Gaza. The RBO had originally planned to perform the three -part opera, which discussed the "destruction of the war" in cooperation with the Israeli opera in Tel Aviv next year.

criticism of the RBO

The signatories of the letter accused the RBO of "actively supporting Israeli government", while these "currently crimes against humanity" commit in the besieged Palestinian area. Alex Beard, the managing director of the RBO, confirmed to CNN on Wednesday that the production was canceled - however, this decision was made "before receiving the open letter", due to "concerns about the security of employees in the region, in view of the ongoing conflict".

dispute over flag

The letter followed an incident within the organization last month when a dancer held a Palestinian flag during the final applause of a performance of "IL Trovatore". Wided videos showed an argument between the dancer and a man who stepped out of the stage area to try to snatch the flag from the dancer.

reactions of the RBO

In a declaration that was reported in British media at the time, the RBO described the performance of the dancer as "completely inappropriate" and "unauthorized action", which violated the "commitment to the political neutrality" of the organization. However, this reaction triggered far -reaching criticism among the employees.

solidarity with the Palestinians

in your Open letter the RBO employees expressed their solidarity with the dancer who unrolled the Palestinian flag. The letter explained that the attempt to snatch the flag had sent him a "clear message" that every visible solidarity with Palestine would be encountered with hostility.

claims of the employees

The employees called for "our productions to refuse to cooperate with institutions that legitimize and support a state that is involved in large -scale killings of civilians". Since October 7, 2023, more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip after Hamas attacked Israel and killed around 1,200 people and took more than 250 people as hostages.

double standard and international reactions

In the letter, the "hypocritical" attitude of the RBO was also criticized, which addressed the support for Ukraine after Russia's large -scale invasion in 2022. "We knew at the time that silence was unacceptable. Why is it different now? Why is the suffering of the Palestinians meet with silence, while the suffering of the Ukrainians was answered with actions?

statement by the managing director

Beard said that the support of the RBO for Ukraine "agreed with the global consensus at this point", but "with the increasing complexity of the geopolitical situation", the attitude of the RBO also had to be changed to ensure that the actions reflect the mission and values of the organization.

meaning of the decision

The artist group Artists for Palestine UK praised the decision of the RBO to cancel the production in Israel, and emphasized that "previously the management of such an institution had never reacted with immediate measures". The concern about suffering in Gaza has achieved new dimensions in recent months since Israel has blocked the area, which led to starvation and malnutrition among the Palestinians.

cautious political steps