Category Archives: Government Oppression

NASA presidential flagbearer Raila Odinga has pledged to continue of the fight of liberating Kenya from the jaws of oppression if he clinched the presidency next month.

Speaking during a campaign rally at Kamukunji in Nairobi, Raila said that his team is will unite all Kenyans and address the plights of the citizens.

He accused President Uhuru Kenyattas administration of failing to fulfi ll the dreams of the countrys forefathers by neglecting former free- dom fi ghters who fought for Kenyas independence.

Just like at Saba Saba, Kenyans have finally united and recognised that all communities are in the same precarious boat. Belonging to the presidents or deputy presidents communities has not brought you any security against destitution, said Raila.

He continued And so God will- ing, Nane Nane next month will also enter the national vocabulary as the beginning of a new era which united the entire nation and led us to a gen- uinely shared prosperity through our vast NASA coalition.

Raila who was accompanied by his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka and NASA co-principals Musalia Muda- vadi and Moses Wetangula expressed optimism that they will dislodge the Jubilee government from power during the August 8, General Elections.

He accused President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto of entrenching dictatorship and detribalis- ing the countrys economy by failing to curb corruption.

Jubilees disastrous reign will surely end next month. It is so utterly out of touch with the suffering of ordinary Kenyans that its manifesto last week offered a continuation of its policies, which have brought most of us to ruin, he said.

He said that many Kenyans have died along the journey of achieving democracy.

Many of us were arrested and others killed.

That is why we want to implement the dreams of our forefathers when we acquire power, he said. Kalonzo said that once it wins the next polls, NASA will form a just government that will deliver services to all Kenyans.

The third and the last liberation of this country has come. We have put in place clear policies to enable us run the next government smoothly, said Kalonzo.

At the same time, Raila appointed Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama, Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero and his deputy Jonathan Mueke as heads of Nairobi county NASAs campaign secretariat.

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I'll save Kenya from jaws of oppression, Raila says - The Star, Kenya

Reflecting on the battle between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton last fall, Bill Maher postulated that the Left's penchant for hyperbole desensitized voters to serious threats.

Here's what Maher said in November:

I know liberals made a big mistake because we attacked [George W. Bush] like he was the end of the world. And he wasn't. And Mitt Romney we attacked that way. I gave Obama a million dollars because I was so afraid of Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney wouldn't have changed my life that much or yours. Or John McCain. They were honorable men who we disagreed with and we should have kept it that way.

"So we cried wolf and that was wrong," Maher concluded. "But this is real."

When everything is an apocalyptic threat, nothing is.

More than its other branches, the feminist Left is especially inclined to traffic in hyperbole. Lately, that's taken the form of drawing breathless comparisons between modern America and Gilead, the fictional setting of "The Handmaid's Tale," a novel and television series.

Liz Wolfe described the world of The Handmaid's Tale in the Washington Examiner last month:

...in it, the theocratic Republic of Gilead has conquered the United States in the wake of a fertility epidemic. In Gilead, a group of red-robed women called handmaids must serve as human incubators for the upper class of politicians, via rape, centered around their monthly fertility cycle. Women cannot read, are unable to vote, and are not supposed to own property. Dissenters are hanged.

Yet, after news circulated that female reporters are not allowed to wear sleeveless dresses in the Speaker's Lobby of the Capitol Building, serious people and publications suggested the policy was reminiscent of Gilead. "What's next?" Vogue asked. "A white bonnet and red robe uniform la The Handmaid's Tale?"

"In the time of Trump, wavering rules on women's business appropriate outfit feels too much like The Handmaid's Tale come to life," an Esquire article declared. NBC's Ronan Farrow juxtaposed the CBS article with a direct passage from the novel. A Newsweek headline asked, "Handmaids' in the House?" And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

All this, because female Hill reporters are, and have been for years, subject to a moderate dress code in a small area of the Capitol building. (By the way, men are required to wear jackets and ties upon entry as well.)

In recent months, feminists have staged Handmaid's Tale-inspired demonstrations to protest healthcare legislation as well.

They need to be careful.

From Kamala Harris being "interrupted," to Wonder Woman making less money than Superman, to John McEnroe saying Serena Williams couldn't compete at the same level against men, feminists consistently discuss instances of perceived sexism, most of which are exaggerated at best and many of which only impact women of privilege, as though they are evidence that women face insurmountable obstacles to meaningful sexual equality.

Everything is treated like a crisis.

Any time a story of actual oppression or discrimination against women arises, nobody will believe it because feminists already told us we were already in Gilead, where things couldn't get worse.

Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.

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A dress code in one room of the Capitol is like government-mandated, systematic rape, liberal magazines tell us - Washington Examiner

Radical Islamist platform Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh condemned and expressed grave concerns over the cow vigilantism in India.

The Qawmi madrasa-based organisation claimed the cow vigilantes were actively colluding with the state.

The Islamist platform also urged the international community to play a more effective role in protecting the Muslim community in India.

Junayed Babunagari, secretary general of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh also urged the government of Bangladesh to convey its concerns to India to cease the ongoing repression on the Muslim people.

The accusations and concerns were delivered via a press release on Thursday.

The Hefazat leader referred to one of BJPs election slogans Vote for Modi, give life to the cow, while highlighting the fact that India is among the two largest beef-exporting countries in the world, the other being Brazil.

India meets 25% of the global beef demand and earns $4bn from it. Regrettably, the Indian government is trying to control the peoples diet, complained Babunagari.

Muslims are sadly becoming victims of cow vigilantism in India. Indian politicians believing in Hindutva are inciting violence against Muslims, Babunagari lamented.

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Hefazat accuses India of racial oppression with cow vigilantism - Dhaka Tribune

Having recently returned from a trip to Cuba, I can attest that President Donald Trumps reversal of portions of the reforms that President Barack Obama put into place restoring relations with Cuba is disingenuous, a disservice to Americans and harmful to the people of Cuba.

Trump said:We will not be silent in the face of communist oppression any longer. Yet the United States does business with China, an authoritarian country that treats its workers unfairly, including those who make Trump-branded products.

Cuba is one of the only countries that the U.S. government prohibits its citizens from freely visiting. Why?

Heres what I learned on my trip that shows how Trumps change in policy will impact Americans and Cubans.

I met a businessman from a medical research company who has been traveling to Cuba to negotiate a deal with the government for a cancer vaccine. Trumps act restricting business with the government could keep Americans from getting access to the vaccine, which might save their lives.

Trump is also restricting Americans freedom to visit Cuba and learn what Cubans actually need to improve their lives. I learned that they are hard-working fueled by an entrepreneurial spirit that has come about as the result of their government now allowing them to own and operate their own businesses. Those businesses, which are mainly travel-related, rely on tourism to grow.

A man named Robert owns and manages his own taxi and tour service, which transports visitors to tobacco farms. The farmers share their experiences with the tourists and have an opportunity to sell their products to supplement the mere $30 a month they get from the government. Robert had hoped to partner with an American online travel company to grow his business and support his fellow Cubans.

Pacheco, who has a masters degree and is earning his Ph.D., is employed by the government as a school teacher and supplements his government earnings by driving a private taxi in the evenings and on weekends. Limiting the number of Americans allowed to visit Cuba will directly impact the growth and income potential of Pacheco and Roberts businesses.

Then theres the story of the owners of Paladar Los Mercadres. Paladares are restaurants that Cubans are allowed to own and operate out of their homes. The owner of Los Mercadres is an engineer who left his low-paying government job and opened a restaurant in his home. The restaurant was superior to any of the government-run restaurants in which we dined. It also manages to pay local farmers a fairer price for their produce than they get from the government.

The new travel restrictions will certainly impact Los Mercadres and other paladares, hurting these business-savvy entrepreneurs and the farmers they support.

These are but a few stories of actual Cubans and their quest for a better life despite living in a communist-run country. All of those I met are proud people who are not looking for the U.S. government to solve their problems. They are trying to do it themselves.

If President Trump truly wants to raise Americas voice to end the oppression of the Cuban people, he should not preclude the progress of an entire country and limit the freedoms of Americans. Instead, he should seek ways to support the valiant efforts of the Cuban people and the entrepreneurial endeavors that will, in time, force the government to give power to its citizens, as they are the ones paving the way to Cubas independence and prosperity.

Patti Melaragno, of Bristol, is a communications consultant.

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My Turn: Patti Melaragno: Trump's policy shift hurts Cuban ... - The Providence Journal

By Nicolas Briscoe | 07/06/2017 8:18am

On June 20, the Sussex Police Force, of Sussex, England, posted a tweet that would go on to draw mixed reactions from those responding. It read This man used Facebook to express his hatred for Muslims & has gone to prison #WeStandTogether against hate crimes." In Germany, twenty-three police departments raided thirty-six homes across fourteen German states in search of suspected hate posters,' and removed their Internet-connected devices.

The reaction from the citizens of these nations was unnervingly supportive. The majority of respondents on Twitter echoed the sentiment of the hashtag. There were many standing together against the apparent crime of hateful expression, regardless of the Orwellian totalitarian enforcement tactics of the supposedly well-intentioned governments.This willful submission to the full frontal assault on freedom should send a shiver down the collective spine of those citizens around the world who value liberty over oppression.

The tendency for the uncomfortable to seek rectification for their discomfort by virtue of government intervention is not a new phenomenon, nor is it terribly novel. Tyranny rarely presents itself as such. It is the first rule of authoritarians and tyrants to assuage the desires of the concerned by curbing the right of the people to speak freely in a manner contrary to a perceived common good. Like boiling a frog, the slow uptick of heat in the cauldron of civil liberty abuses is historically almost unnoticeable until it is too late, and you find yourself a fully cooked victim of authoritarian rule.

Once the precedent has been set allowing the government the prerogative to curb speech it deems unsavory, government power is checked only by the restraints of the current ruling class, rather than a concrete guardian of liberties that transcends personal ideologies. Willfully granting the government the authority to decide what speech will be regulated will inevitably result in government believing it has that right.

Despite the claims that the United States has set its own precedent in the war against speech with the fighting words doctrine established in Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire (1942), no such equivalency exists. The narrative that hateful speech leads directly to violence is the undeniable beginnings of totalitarian rule. The equivocation of anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, anti-black, anti-white, or anti-anything speech with fighting words is a dangerous equivalency that mars the boundaries of both concepts. Saying that Muslims should not be allowed in this country (see: vile racism, legal) is a fundamentally different statement than telling a Muslim that you intend to hurt or kill them, or other Muslims (see: fighting words, illegal).

The American penchant for absolute or near-absolute free speech has allowed for a nation freer than any on Earth. Stories are rampant across most of Europe, the socialist utopias of Scandinavia, Canada, and outliers elsewhere in the world, of government crackdowns on free speech resulting often in detention or arrest. Rather than addressing the concerns of the overwhelming masses that radical Islamic terrorism and its sympathizers pose a serious and existential threat to western society, they opt to display their own tolerance by being entirely intolerant of dissenting opinions deemed unsavory.

There are many in the United States that seek to emulate the free speech violations of other western nations. We see the guerilla militia tactics of Antifa stifling free speech using violence and the threat thereof. Conservative speakers such as Ben Shapiro, Ann Coulter, and Charles Murray, among several others, encounter massive protests designed to stop the spread of their opinions at college campusesoften supported by a willfully complicit administration. Those spoiled by the luxury of liberty are often those who seek to degrade or destroy it. They seek enhanced crackdowns on free speech, while simultaneously taking every possible opportunity to eviscerate the President and calling him everything from the stupidest dope that has ever been elected to public office to the most brilliantly evil mastermind/superspy/saboteur in human historyall within a span of five minutes. The accusations might be ridiculous and their insults poorly thought out, but the right to criticize the government is a hallmark of free society.

Those demanding the government act to curb that which they deem hate speech will be shocked at how quickly speech against the government is deemed hateful, and banned. Eagerly granting government power over the speech of its citizens is beginning the descent on a sharp, slippery slope towards oppression and despotism. Each law that chips away at our most closely held civil liberties, no matter how opposed you might be to the application of the liberty in question, is an unacceptable affront to the foundation of our republic and the inalienable rights that emanate thereof. As is often said, If you do not support the liberty of those with whom you disagree, you do not support liberty.

Link:

Governments should be careful creating hate speech laws - The University of Alabama Crimson White

Poland hasnt really had a turn in the world spotlight since the 1980s, when all eyes were on the drama of the Solidarity labor movements perilous but ultimately successful struggle against Communist rule.

President Trumps stop in Warsaw, where he arrived Wednesday night on his way to the Group of 20 meeting in Germany, focuses attention on a country viewed by many as having come full circle since those heady days.

Polands right-wing government views the visit as an enormous boost to its prestige, and has worked to ensure that Trump-friendly crowds turn out for a U.S. president known to relish shows of public adulation.

U.S. allies in Western Europe, however, worry that the presidents visit is in effect stamping a seal of approval on the Polish leaderships aggressive moves against democratic institutions such as the courts and the news media, and that Trump could be seen as offering an implicit endorsement of the governments populist, stridently anti-immigrant stance, which is reminiscent in some ways of his own.

Still colored in many ways by the sorrowful legacy of the 20th century, including the deaths of about one-fifth of its population in World War II, Poland has strong U.S. ties, personified by a large diaspora in the United States. While countries such as Ireland and Germany claim a far larger share of ancestral roots among Americans, Americans of Polish ancestry number nearly 10 million and have left an indelible mark on cities including Chicago and New York.

Tracy Wilkinson

Tracy Wilkinson

NATO ally Poland also hosts a contingent of about 900 U.S. troops, and has for many years contributed to U.S. and NATO missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. And it spends more of its GDP on military expenditures than most of its North Atlantic Treaty Organization neighbors, a subject Trump publicly lectured the alliance about during an awkward visit in May.

Trumps public events in Poland were scheduled for Thursday.

Heres some background about the first stop on Trumps second international trip as president.

Trumps Polish counterpart, President Andrzej Duda, shares some common policy ground with the U.S. president, including prospects for energy deal-making, a shared mistrust of Muslim immigrants and refugees and a degree of disdain for the European Union. But the countrys most powerful political figure is Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of the nationalist-minded ruling Law and Justice party, which won 2015 parliamentary elections.

Under Kaczynski, the party has moved to rein in the judiciary, sought to muscle media outlets into taking a more pro-government line and advanced various conspiracy theories, including one surrounding the 2010 plane crash in Russia that killed dozens of Polish dignitaries including Kaczynski's twin brother, Lech, who was then president.

Its a more complicated question than the sight of cheering crowds some of them bused in by backers of the governing party from outside Warsaw might suggest. Within Poland, support for Trump tends to break down along urban-countryside lines, with less enthusiasm for his policies and rough-edged political style in cosmopolitan Warsaw.

In a recent Pew Global Attitudes survey, Trumps ratings in Poland and neighboring Hungary were higher than in most of the rest of Europe, but still low in terms of his leadership qualities. According to the survey, only 23% of Poles trust the U.S. president to do the right thing in global affairs.

Still, Poland is seen by Trumps entourage as far friendlier territory than Western Europe, where his relations with leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron have been strained over the decision to abandon the landmark Paris climate accord, among other issues.

As in most countries, domestic issues like the economy are the biggest day-to-day concerns for most people. When it comes to foreign policy, the behemoth to the east Russia overshadows everything. Polish officials are keenly aware that they have Trumps ear as he heads into bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday on the sidelines of the summit in Hamburg. Like all NATO allies that have Russia as a near neighbor, Poland has a keen interest in the degree of Trumps commitment to the NATO alliances fundamental principle, which states that an attack on one is an attack on all.

In some important respects, yes. Its government has feuded with the European Union over a variety of topics, including immigration quotas and a fray over the governments attempt to derail an EU leadership role for former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, now seen as an adversary of the ruling party.

Polands leaders are thought to be using Trumps visit to make at least symbolic inroads into Germanys powerhouse status on the Continent. He will join in an event convened by Warsaw ostensibly to boost regional trade and infrastructure the Three Seas initiative, but seen by some as a Polish-led bid to carve out a separate sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.

Warm receptions are the norm. Presidents Obama, George W. Bush and Clinton all made a point of meeting with Lech Walesa, the Solidarity leader who rose to the presidency. Walesa is considered an enemy by the current government, and there were no private talks with Trump on the agenda.

Poland has a long and tragic history of being caught between powerful warring empires. Even before Polands oppression-haunted decades as part of the Soviet bloc, the countrys dead in World War II amounted to a staggering 6 million, about 20% of the prewar population. Outside recognition of past suffering is well received; Trumps main public event is a speech in the capitals Krasinski Square, near a monument to the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. The presidents national security advisor, H.R. McMaster, said in a pre-trip briefing that Trump would praise Polish courage throughout historys darkest hour, and celebrate Polands emergence as a European power.

ALSO: When this broadcaster makes a rare appearance, North Koreans know it's serious

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In Poland, a right-wing, populist, anti-immigrant government sees an ally in Trump - Los Angeles Times

Philly.com

'There was only one issue:' At parades and protests, GOP gets earful about health care News & Observer "Isn't freedom wonderful?" Cruz asked. "In much of the world, if protesters showed up, they would face violent government oppression. In America, we've got something different." In a follow-up interview with the Texas Tribune, Cruz characterized the ... At parades and protests, GOP lawmakers get earful about health careWashington Post all 17 news articles »

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'There was only one issue:' At parades and protests, GOP gets earful about health care - News & Observer

Business Review Board Jul. 5, 2017

Longtime Democrat-controlled state governments are running out of other peoples money. Three states in particular are in varying degrees of budgetary crisis. Illinois, Connecticut and New Jersey are swimming in debt and yet Democrats only solution is to call for tax increases, not spending cuts. Illinois is especially bad, finding itself staring at a growing debt crisis owing primarily to the cost of public pensions. It recently passed a massive tax hike, though Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed the bill over its failure to deal with the root cause of the problem the public employment system. But the state senates Democrat majority overrode Rauners veto, displaying once again that Democrats dance to the tune of big unions over and against the interests of citizens. Is it any wonder that Illinois has seen its population decrease by over 500,000 since 2010?

Both Connecticut and New Jersey find themselves in similar predicaments. Theyre trying to find the funds to pay for ever-increasing public pensions and retirement health care costs without actually working to reform these programs that have precipitated the problem in the first place. And their solution is always increased taxes.

By contrast, look at a longtime Republican-controlled state. Tennessee is a state where high taxes are essentially non-existent. With no regular income tax, the Volunteer State has become a magnet for businesses and Americans seeking greater freedom from oppression of government excess. The Brookings Institute ranks the state as number one in the nation for advanced industry job growth. The state government also finds itself on the opposite side of the debt crisis and sitting on a revenue surplus, as Tennessees constitution requires lawmakers pass a balanced budget plan each year. As a right-to-work state, it has helped to prevent the development of a political culture adhering to the demands of unions. When individual freedom is prized over collectivist sympathies, the result is a government with fiscal restraints rather than unchecked excesses.

Originally posted here:

Democrat-Controlled States Face Debt Crisis - Patriot Post

Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at 10:54 a.m.

Senator Ted Cruz went to McAllen on the Fourth of July, and that blue section of Texas responded as you'd expect.

Photo courtesy of Sen. Ted Cruz's office

Senator Ted Cruz is nothing if not optimistic. There's really no other explanation for why the junior senator from Texas opted to spend Fourth of July in McAllen, a reliably Democratic section of the state where his visit was met with protesters eager to give Cruz a talking-to about the Senate's current efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

It wasn't a simple walk in the park for Cruz this time around as he had to deal with hecklers and protesters throughout the day.

While Cruz excels at dealing with opposition when he's standing on the Senate floor or baiting opponents on a debate stage, he doesn't always do so well with regular people, as we've noted before. On Tuesday he had to struggle to be heard throughout his part in the Fourth of July festivities as protesters shouted at him while supporters countered that interruption with their own chants of "USA," according to the Texas Tribune.

To Cruz's credit, he handled the protests and general commotion with some grace."Isn't freedom wonderful?" Cruz said shortly after taking the stage. "Think about it: In much of the world, if protesters showed up, they would face violent government oppression. In America, we've got something different."

Cruz, who already has one challenger, Democratic U.S. Representative Beto O'Rourke, in the upcoming midterm elections in 2018, has been hard at work trying to remake his image as a guy who is not only an obstructionist, but who also actually gets legislation passed, as we've pointed out. If the Senate bill to repeal and replace Obamacare actually becomes law, many are already saying that Cruz will be one of the reasons that happened.

But as was evident on Tuesday, being the guy who helps get rid of the Affordable Care Act may not see Cruz go from being obnoxious and disliked to celebrated and beloved across Texas.

Even the fact that Cruz was going to be in McAllen on Independence Day drew some criticism that pushed McAllen's mayor to justify the visit. Mayor Jim Darling released a statement after the news broke that Cruz would be attending, arguing that this was a chance for both sides to "engage in productive dialogue."

Darling has a point. Cruz is working hard to reshape his image in the face of the upcoming election this marked his third trip to McAllen since December and in some ways just having him there is a chance for those with other views to show Cruz there are other constituents out there and other opinions than the ones that he usually caters to.

Photo courtesy of Senator Ted Cruz's office

But not everyone decided to bide his time. A local immigrant rights group, La Union del Pueblo Entero, weighed out the chance to meet with Cruz privately during his trip but decided to hold out for a town hall meeting, where Cruz would have to hear and respond to their concerns in full view of the public. The town hall they were hoping for didn't happen, but Cruz did have to deal with the protesters, partly because of the sheer number of them and the volume of their heckling.

Cruz handled the animosity he was greeted with fairly smoothly, working the crowd before his speech and speaking with supporters and protesters alike, but he did balk at directly engaging with the most indignant cluster of opponents, who were grouped in the bleachers holding signs that said"Ted wants us dead," and "Cruzin for a Bruzin 2018."

Of course, because Cruz is still Cruz, he ultimately underplayed the number of people who had turned out for the explicit purpose of booing and heckling him, describing them as a "small group of people on the left who right now are very angry," according to Talking Points Memo.

But on the upside, Cruz did show up and actually hear what some of his non-Republican constituents had to say. In the current political climate, that alone seems like something.

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Ted Cruz Heckled During July 4 Visit to McAllen - Houston Press

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Protest at Lincoln Center, New York City, April 2017. (Photo: Bud Korotzer/BDS Movement)

Ina letter made public today, over 60theater artists have called on Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, a leading U.S. arts institution located in Manhattan, to cancel Israeli government-sponsored performances by two Israeli theater companies scheduled for July 2427. The signers of the letter have won numerous awards for their work in theater, including four Pulitzer Prizes, three Tony Awards, and nine Obie Awards. The letter signed by the artists asserts that the performances by Israels Habima National Theatre and the Cameri Theater of Tel Aviv will help the Israeli government to implement its systematicBrand Israelstrategy of employing arts and culture to divert attention from the states decades of violent colonization, brutal military occupation and denial of basic rights to the Palestinian people.

Lincoln Center isadvertising the performancesby the Israeli theater companies as presented With support of Israels Office of Cultural Affairs in North America.The artists lettersays that the performances are part of the Israeli governments Brand Israel public relations strategy which,according to an Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, sends well-known novelists and writers overseas, theater companies, exhibitsThis way you show Israels prettier face, so we are not thought of purely in the context of war.The artists also criticize Habima and Cameri theaters because, despitepast opposition from artists, they have repeatedlyperformed inand legitimized Israels illegal settlements built on Israeli-occupied Palestinian land. The letter calls on Lincoln Center to respect the Palestinian civil society callfor a boycottof those Israeli cultural institutions that are complicit in the denial of Palestinian rights. A second Israeli play set to be performed at the same Lincoln Center festival, but without Israeli government sponsorship, was not raised as a concern in the letter signed by artists.The letter was initiated by the New York City Palestinian rights group Adalah-NY: The New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel. It was also signed by eighteen other organizations, including thirteen Palestinian theater and arts groups, thePalestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel(PACBI), and theJewish Voice for PeaceArtists Council.

In a June 27emailed response to the letter,Lincoln Center President Debora Spardefended the performances, writing that, we seek to bring a wide range of ideas and voices to our stages each year, and that we do not make political statements and hope that the art we present can stand on its own.

Noelle Ghoussaini, playwright, from the Between the Seas Festival site.

In response,director and playwright Noelle Ghoussainicommented, I believe it is essential that we (audiences, institutions, and artists) seek to understand the political and social context of the art we engage with.By partnering with the apartheid government of Israel,Lincoln Center is making a political statement insupport Israels occupation and systematic denial of Palestinian rights. By signing onto this letter, I urge Lincoln Center to take a stand for equality and human rights by adhering to the cultural boycott.

Mustafa Sheta, General Secretary of the Freedom Theatrein Jenin explained, By hosting Israeli government supported performances by Israels Habima and Cameri theatres, not only is the Lincoln Center opening its prestigious doors to institutions deeply complicit in the oppression of Palestinians, including theatre workers, artists, musicians and cultural organizations. It is also making a clear political choice to play a supporting role in Israels cynical use of the arts to cover up decades of denying Palestinian rights. Lincoln Center should reject that role and instead join theatre artists supporting the Palestinian call to boycott Israeli cultural institutions complicit in our oppression, until we are free to write our own future.

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker, a signatory to the letter, commented, I think the phrase cultural boycottscares people, and its important to remember that a) its not a boycott against individual artists or nationalities, and b) it has historical precedent as an extremely effective way to call attention to apartheid (yes, Israel is an apartheid state) and influence policy.

MJ Kaufman, a member of Jewish Voices for Peaces Artists Council, added that, As a Jewish American playwright I do not condone the use of theater to cover up Israels human rights abuses.Our work should expose and call attention to violence and inequality, not obscure it.I am disturbed by the Israeli government using theater to justify occupation and colonization. Out of solidarity with the Palestinian and Israeli artists who have called for Habima and Cameri to stop performing in Israels illegal settlements and on the Israeli government to stop using art and theater to justify occupation, I call on Lincoln Center to cancel these performances.

The Palestinian civil society movement forboycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS)calls for an economic, cultural, and academic boycott of companies and institutions that are complicit in Israels denial of Palestinian rights until Israel respects the rights of Palestinians, whether living under Israeli military occupation, as unequal citizens of Israel, or as refugees who are denied their right to return to their homeland. The Palestinian BDS is modeled on the global boycott movement that helped to bring an end to apartheid in South Africa.

PEN America recentlydropped Israeli government sponsorshipfor its annual World Voices literary festival following an appealsigned by over 240 well-known writers, poets, and publishers.

Click to view the letter signed by artists and sent to Lincoln Center.

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Theater artists ask Lincoln Center to cancel Israeli government ... - Mondoweiss