STATEMENT BY CLLR RICHARD HUMPHREYS
Labour Party Councillor for Stillorgan
Saturday, 26 November 2011
“CULTURAL BOYCOTT” SHOWS INTOLERANCE OF ULTRA-LEFT - HUMPHREYS
Cllr Richard Humphreys, the Labour Party Councillor for the Stillorgan Ward, has condemned the campaign for a cultural boycott of Israel, led by the Irish-Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and supported by ultra left politicians.
“The campaign to disrupt the Israeli film festival in Dublin this weekend demonstrates the extraordinary intolerance of the ultra-left.” Humphreys said. “Art and culture are by definition expressions of man’s freedom and uniqueness. To seek to debase culture to make a political point is a degradation of which Trotsky would have been proud.” Humphreys said.
“Because I cherish cultural diversity, I welcome the Israeli film festival just as I would welcome a celebration of Arab or Muslim culture. I am delighted that the Labour Party Leader, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, attended to speak at the opening of the festival, fully consistent with Labour’s distinguished record on celebrating culture and of engagement with all parties in the Middle East.”
“The pitiful attempts of the Irish-Palestinian Solidarity Campaign to bully Filmbase into cancelling the event, and their attempts to disrupt the festival, show a chilling contempt for the legitimacy of the Israeli perspective.” Humphreys said. “This totalitarian mindset is a foretaste of what would await the people of Israel if the ultra left were to get their way. I am glad that hundreds of Dubliners have ignored the somewhat absurd supporters of a cultural boycott and have come to experience Israeli culture at first hand, and judge it for themselves.” Humphreys said. “They will see the culture of a mature democracy which is self-confident and intelligent enough to highlight its own shortcomings as well as its strengths.”
Ends
This is about freedom within Ireland and Zero Tolerance for harassment, intimidation and bullying. We all need, whatever our precise views on the Middle East, to stand together to confront such threats, from any quarter.
ReplyDeletethe issue according to raymond deane is Israeli state funding for the arts festival. in an irish times article on november 24th he sites examples of the "Irish Film Institute and the (now defunct) Dún Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures both returning the Israeli embassy’s sponsorship money in 2006. “
ReplyDeletethe protest was against the Israeli state. Boycott and protest is a legitimate tool of moral pressure in a democracy. If Israel is as mature and intelligent and strong enough to address its own shot comings as you assert then it will understand that.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2011/1124/1224308040299.html
If receiving any state funding makes you *an agent of the state*, in Deane-land, then Deane himself is doubly a *paid state agent* since he is not only paid as a member of Aosdana [and not for music actually composed but simply for being Dr Deane ], but also is state-funded since his music is included on the Leaving Cert - and is compulsory - no student interested in studying Music at that level may avoid what Dr. Deane deems to be music. Mice gigs, if you can get them. I for one will stick to *Whiskey in the Jar* as rousingly rendered by Izhar Ashdot and his 5 vibrant colleagues at 9.45 PM on Saturday night in Filmbase - never heard it better played - Phil L himself would have been moved. We all -whether we happen to be Irish [ Orange or Green or Red or Blue, or any mixtures thereof ], or Israelis [ Druze, Circassian Sunni Muslims, Muslim or Christian Arabs, Jews, Bahai -and no matter which of their 13 elected parties thy may support ] or Arabs anywhere across the Middle East, we all need both music and politics that inspires and creates hope, not sour wreckers who only depress, demonise and destroy.
ReplyDeleteIsrael is a sour wrecker which depresses, demonises and destroys Palestinian people and their lands.
ReplyDeleteWell I never considered myself ultra left, but Richard would do well to remember that Nelson Mandela supports the cultural boycott of Israel. As with South Africa, if the world will not listen then boycott is often the only answer. Palestinians from all walks of life have called for a boycott, I support them, as I did by taking part in the Irish Ship to Gaza initiative. Those of us (including the so called ultra left) were prepared to put ourselves in harms way because the world is not listening to the fact that Gaza is an open prison and Palestinians in the west bank are denied basic rights. As a member of the Labour Party I fundamentally disagree with Richard on this issue, as do most of the Labour Party according to their motions to Conference.
ReplyDeleteA boycott is a non violent act to protest against the political actions of the person or institution so boycotted. Given it's Irish provenance whereby it was used in the war to regain Irish land for the Irish people it seems to me entirely appropriate to use it in solidarity with Palestinians whose land, even as we read, is being actively appropriated by strangers leaving the palestine people permanently evicted...
ReplyDelete