Stephen Fry, Sharon Osbourne and Rachel Riley are among 100 leading entertainment figures who have signed a statement rejecting calls for a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest in Israel.
Comedian Al Murray, performance artist Marina Abramović and actress Tracy Ann Oberman joined the signatories, who said they were uniting in the “spirit of peace and togetherness” to show their support for the Tel Aviv event.
Waters boycott call
Roger Waters, the former Pink Floyd star, has called on performers, including special guest star Madonna, to boycott the event.
“Until Palestinians can enjoy freedom, justice and equal rights, there should be no business-as-usual with the state that is denying them their basic rights,” his statement, backed by filmmaker Ken Loach and other cultural figures, read.
Eurovision ‘force for unity’
The boycott’s opponents said Eurovision embodies the power of music to “help bridge cultural divides.”
Waters’ campaign was “subverting the spirit of the contest and turning it from a tool of unity into a weapon of division.”
The statement, signed by critics of the Israeli government such as Fry, read: “We believe the cultural boycott movement is an affront to both Palestinians and Israelis who are working to advance peace through compromise, exchange, and mutual recognition.”
Boycott ‘not the answer’
“While we all may have differing opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the best path to peace, we all agree that a cultural boycott is not the answer.”
“We call on all our friends and colleagues around the world to express their support for an exciting and successful Eurovision 2019 in Tel Aviv.”
A statement on Change.org, asserting that a cultural boycott of Eurovision would not advance peace between Israelis and Palestinians, has around 15,000 signatories.
The Fry letter was organised by an entertainment industry non-profit organisation called Creative Community For Peace.
