Released marking two years since Israeli forces massacred sixty peaceful protesters at the Great Return March in Gaza, the letter has been signed by artists, musicians, writers and cultural practitioners from across the world.
The following is the text of the letter:
Long before the global outbreak of COVID-19 threatened to overwhelm the already devastated healthcare system in Gaza, the UN had predicted that the blockaded coastal strip would be unliveable by 2020. With the pandemic, Gaza’s almost two million inhabitants, predominantly refugees, face a mortal threat in the world’s largest open-air prison.
Two years ago on May 14th, Israeli snipers killed sixty Palestinian men, women and children in Gaza, with total impunity. The overwhelmingly peaceful Great March of Return weekly mass demonstrations, currently on hold due to the threat of coronavirus, were met with brutal violence.
Well before the ongoing crisis, Gaza’s hospitals were already stretched to breaking point through lack of essential resources denied by Israel’s siege. Its healthcare system could not cope with the thousands of gunshot wounds, leading to many amputations.
Reports of the first cases of coronavirus in densely-populated Gaza are therefore deeply disturbing. As several health professionals recently wrote: “Epidemics (and indeed, pandemics) are disproportionately violent to populations burdened by poverty, military occupation, discrimination & institutionalised oppression.”
Yet Israel’s blockade impedes the flow of medical equipment, personnel and fundamental humanitarian aid. International pressure is urgently needed to make life in Gaza liveable and dignified. Israel’s siege must be ended. And most urgently, a potentially devastating outbreak must be prevented.
What happens in Gaza is a test for the conscience of humanity. We back Amnesty International’s call on all world governments to impose a military embargo on Israel until it fully complies with its obligations under international law. We recognise that the rights guaranteed to refugees by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must be upheld for Palestinians as well.
In these times of international crisis, we must stand for justice, peace, freedom, and equal rights for all, regardless of identity or creed. We may be staying at home, but our ethical responsibility shouldn’t.
Signed,
Lawrence Abu Hamdan, artist
Taha Adnan, poet
Giannis Aggelakas, singer, songwriter, poet
Mania Akbari, film director
Fatiha al Ghorri, comedian
Pau Alabajos, singer, songwriter
Senad Alic, visual artist
Simon Allemeersch, theatre maker
Candace Allen, author
Udi Aloni, filmmaker
Rafael Alvarez, choreographer, dancer
Miren Amuriza, writer, versolari
Lisa Appignanesi, writer
Ariane Ascaride, actor
Austra, solo artist
Ariella Azoulay, writer, filmmaker
Kobe Baeyens, classical singer
Balkan Bomba, band
Sibaji Bandyopadhyay, author, performer
Kevin Barry, writer
Kevin Beasley, artist
Patrick Bebi, theatre maker, actor, teacher
Nacera Belaza, choreographer
Yacine Belhacene, singer
Bella Cuts, DJ, producer
Ronan Bennett, screenwriter
Rimli Bhattacharya, writer, academic
Akeel Bilgrami, philosopher
Mary Black, singer
Bruno Boussagol, theatre director
Tove Bøygard, singer, composer, writer
Howard Brenton, playwright
Adam Broomberg, artist
Pankaj Butalia, filmmaker
Teresa Cabral, painter
Burt Caesar, actor, film director
Paulo Caetano, author, photographer
Carmen Callil, publisher, writer, critic
Dayana Cata, writer, artist
Oliver Chanarin, artist
Pascal Chardome, musician, composer
Sheba Chhachhi, photographer
Régine Chopinot, choreographer
Julie Christie, actor
Chullage, rapper
Ciel, DJ, producer
Luís Cília, musician, singer
Céline Condorelli, artist
Steve Coogan, comedian, actor
Molly Crabapple, writer
Crisis de los 40, band
Darren Cullen, artist
Liam Cunningham, actor
Sinéad Cusack, actor
Bruna Cusí, actor
Alain Damasio, writer
Jesse Darling, artist
Eva De Roovere, singer-songwriter
Foivos Delivorias, singer, songwriter
Rokhaya Diallo, writer, filmmaker
Doctor Prats, band
Mark Donne, filmmaker
Geoff Dyer, writer
Galit Eilat, curator, writer
Radhouane El Medebb, choreographer
Fons Elders, writer
Brian Eno, musican
Anne Enright, writer
Annie Ernaux, writer
Charles Esche, museum director, professor
Marcelo Evelin, choreographer
Tristan Faes, classical singer
Shepard Fairey, artist
David Farr, screenwriter
Isabel Fazenda, writer
Mark Fell, electronic musician
Simon Fisher Turner, composer, producer, actor
Annar Follestø, violinist, artistic director
Cesk Freixas, singer, songwriter
Peter Gabriel, musician, music festival founder
Dimitra Galani, singer, composer
Rashna Gandhy, author, psychologist
Sylvain George, filmmaker
Katia Gerou, actor, writer
Gigakoops, electronic musician
Jordi Ginesta, singer
Thea Glenton Raknes, musician
Sérgio Godinho, musician, singer
Priyamvada Gopal, writer, scholar
Antony Gormley, artist
Gossos, band
Øyvind Grande, composer
Andre Gregory, actor, theatre director
Ohal Grietzer, composer, mixed-media performer
Trevor Griffiths, playwright
Probir Gupta, artist
Gwenno, musician, songwriter
Ella Maria Hætta Isaksen, artist, singer
Maysaloun Hamoud, film director
Nir Harel, artist
Githa Hariharan, writer
Tobi Haslett, writer, art critic
Justin Hayward-Young, musician
Charles Hayward, musician
Tzion Abraham Hazan, artist
Kristien Hemmerechts, writer
Dalilla Hermans, writer, columnist
Claire Hilger, visual artist, graphic designer
Hiro Kone, DJ, producer
Martin Horntveth, musician, composer, artist
Gemma Hummet, singer
Asad Hussain, writer, film editor
Emmanuelle Huynh, dancer
Trond Ingebretsen, musician, singer
Marc Isaacs, documentary filmmaker
Vanessa Jackson, artist
Julie Jaroszewski, singer, filmmaker, actress
Terry Johnson, playwright, director
Filip Jordens, singer, actor
Em Joseph, artist
Embla Karidotter, musician
Ioanna Karystianni, writer
Kyriakos Katzourakis, artist, film director
Patrick Keiller, artist, filmmaker
A.L. Kennedy, author
Chris Keulemans, writer
Naomi Klein, writer
La Kruel band
Lágrimas de Sangre, band
Lankum, band
Mike Leigh, screenwriter, director
Leo Leonhardsen, musician
Faustin Linyekula, choreographer
Lluís Llach, singer, songwriter
Ken Loach, film director
Jen Long, artist manager, DJ
Josie Long, comedian
Los Castos, band
Los Chikos del Maíz, rap group
Dónal Lunny, musician
Nightmare Lyre, musician
Mammút, band
Esther Manito, comedian
Kika Markham, actor
Yann Martel, author
Helen Marten, artist
Emer Martin, writer
Raoul Martinez, artist, writer
Marwan, singer, songwriter, poet
Massive Attack, band
Tom McCarthy, author
Vic Mensa, rap artist
Marc Mercier, artistic director
China Miéville, author
Luc Mishalle, musician
Thurston Moore, musician
Christy Moore, singer
Gérard Mordillat, filmmaker
Viggo Mortensen Jr., actor, musician, author
Junior Mthombeni, theater director, actor, musician
Peter Mullan, actor, director
Rita Natálio, artist, researcher
Nel Tardiu, band
Jef Neve, pianist, composer
Courttia Newland, author
Bernard Noël, writer
Object Blue, DJ
Joff Oddie, musician
Joan Miquel Oliver, singer, songwriter
Ragnar Olsen, singer
Susie Orbach, psychoanalyst, writer
Jørn Simen Øverli, singer, artist
Ruth Padel, poet
Carmen París, singer, songwriter
Melissa Parmenter, composer, film producer, pianist
Anand Patwardhan, documentary filmmaker
Maxine Peake, actor
Eddie Peake, artist
Mireille Perrier, actor
Dimitris Piatas, actor, writer
Ernest Pignon-Ernest, artist
Marijke Pinoy, actress
Alain Platel, choreographer
Jocelyn Pook, composer
Patrícia Portela, writer, playwright
Aaron Porter, solo artist
Charlotte Prodger, artist
Philip Pullman, author
Pupil·les, band
Michael Radford, film director
Roland Ramade, singer
RAVI, artist, composer
Stephen Rea, actor
Ian Rickson, theatre director
Tiago Rodrigues, national theatre director, playwright
Luz Room for Resistance, DJ
Rrose, musician
Liv Runesdatter, singer, composer
Pilar Salamanca, writer
Xavi Sarrià, musician
K. Satchidanandan, writer
Aura Satz, artist
James Schamus, director, producer
Noémie Schellens, classical singer, actress
Gaea Schoeters, writer, journalist, scenarist
Mim Shaikh, broadcaster, writer, actor
Tai Shani, artist
Alia Shawkat, actor, artist
Sindicat de Músics Activistes de Catalunya – SMAC musicians’ union
Robyn Slovo, film producer
John Smith, artist filmmaker
Smoking souls, band
Patrick Staff, artist
Stay at Homas, band
Janneke Stegeman, theologian, writer
DAAN Stuyven, singer-songwriter, composer
Vivan Sundaram, artist
BV Suresh, artist
Nick J. Swarth, poet, performer, musician, visual artist
Guy Swinnen, singer
Jakob Thonander Glans, composer, musician, conductor
Colm Tóibín, author
Sílvia Tomàs, singer, songwriter
Ricky Tomlinson, actor
Tudanca, band
Dirk Tuypens, actor
Merlijn Twaalfhoven, composer
Txarango, band
Adil Tyabji, editor
V (formerly Eve Ensler), playwright, activist
Myriam Van Imschoot, performance, theatre, music
Michiel Vandevelde, choreographer
Judith Vanistendael, graphic novelist
David Verdaguer, actor
Violet, DJ, producer
Erik Vlaminck, author
Pantelis Voulgaris, film director
Naomi Wallace, playwright
Mark Wallinger, artist
Harriet Walter, actor
Roger Waters, musician
Einat Weizman, director, writer, actor
Irvine Welsh, author
Michael Wiehe, singer, musician
Unni Wilhelmsen, musician, composer, writer
Jeanette Winterson, writer
Bent Wold, singer
XY, band
Luke Younger, experimental musician
Zoo, band
Tulika Aasma, Visual Artist
Majed Abusalama, Journalist, Producer
Hamja Ahsan, Artist, writer, curator
Nathaniel Andrews, Musician
Zaina Arekat, Musician
Mert Bagcan, musician
Matthew Barnes , Artist
Bernardo Barro, musician
Vinod Bhardwaj, Art Critic and Writer
Ira Bhaskar, Cinema Scholar
Daria Birang, Artist
Tove Bornhøft, artistic theatre director
Jen Brister, comedian
Melanie E L Bush, Academic
Indira Chandrasekhar, Publisher
Jesper Christensen, Actor
Simon Coates, artist
Maggie Cronin, Actor
Lebuïn D’Haese, sculptor, visual artist
Dror Dayan, Filmmaker and Lecturer
Corrado Maria De Santis, Musician
Raymond Deane, Composer, author
Satish Deshpande, Academic
Sudhanva Deshpande, Theatre Director, Actor
Dreamtrip, Music Producer ,DJ
Madhusree Dutta, Filmmaker, Artistic Director
Electric Litany, band
Tina Enghoff, Visuel artist
Naima Fatima, Filmmaker
Samuel Francis, Filmmaker
Sabeena Gadihoke, Photography and Cinema Scholar
Munishwar Nath Ashish Ganju, Sustainable Architect
Tim Garratt, Musician
Lena Ghannam, artist
Arundhati Ghosh, Curator
Sanchayan Ghosh, Professor of Fine Arts
Nida Ghouse, Writer, Curator
Shanta Gokhale, Writer and Theatre Critic
Lalitha Gopalan, Film Scholar
Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, visual artist
Spyros Grammenos, musician
Cathy Gulkin, Filmmaker
Latika Gupta, Curator
Parul Gupta, Artist
Síomha Hennessy, Sisterix (band)
Trevor Joyce, Poet
Susanne Kahlil Yusef, artist
Geeta Kapur, Art Curator
Anuradha Kapur, Theatre Director
Sam Karam, Musician/DJ
Nuzhat Kazmi, Art Historian
Judith Knight, Arts producer
Thanos Kois, musician
Billie Koppel, Singer
Ashish Kothari, Environmentalist
R. Siva Kumar, Art Historian
Vicky Langan, Artist
Paul Laughlin, Poet
Britta Lillesøe, Actress, Cultural Coordinator, Event Maker
Ben Lunn, Composer
Mafalda, band
Alessandro Magania, performer, choreographer, visual artist
Jim Maginn, Photographer
Harsh Mander, Author and Columnist
Marinah, singer
Niall McDevitt, Poet
Hugh McFadden, Poet/ writer
Cahal McLaughlin, filmmaker
Wency Mendes, Filmmaker
Stamatis Morfonios, Musician
Danny Morrison, Writer
Benjamin Moser, Writer
Jimmy Murphy, Playwright
Pushpamala N, Artist
Marco Ormas, musician
Chitra Ravi, Pedagogy Expert
Gauhar Raza, Poet and Scientist
Luigi Rizzo, Film editor
Andrew Ross, Writer
Shermine Sawalha, Producer
Zachary Seely, Musician
Jai Sen, Academic
Shuddhabrata Sengupta, Artist, Curator
Refqa Shaqoor, Docent
David Shock, Artist
SB Stokes, poet
Nandini Sundar, Academic
Susie Tharu, Writer
Kirsten Thorup, novelist
Joëlle Tuerlinckx, visual artist
Uzramma, Artisanal Textile Manufacturer
Niall Vallely, Musician, composer
Jaap van der Vinne, Fotographer
Achin Vanaik, Academic
Pramila Vasudevan, Choreographer, Interdisciplinary Artist
Nils Vest, Film director
Sonia Wickham, Visual artist
Karina Willumsen, Musician
Wolf Alice, band
Arne Würgler, Musician
Christoforos Zaralikos, comedian
