Hundreds of electronic musicians and DJs sign open letter in solidarity with Palestine
“We refuse to participate in spaces and collectives that ignore the violence of colonialism”
Almost 300 DJs, producers, collectives and venues affiliated with London's electronic music scene have signed an open letter in solidarity with Palestine amid Israel's "brutal and ongoing attack on Gaza”.
Artists including Ross From Friends, Objekt, Ahadadream, Shannen SP, Bok Bok and Tash LC have added their signatures to the letter arranged by Ravers for Palestine, a collective of London-linked creatives who wish to "publicly condemn the indiscriminate bombardment and blockade currently being inflicted by Israel on Gaza and to recognise the essential context for this violence".
Gaza has been under a "complete siege" since 9th October, two days after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a string of attacks on Israel, killing an estimated 1,400 people. 260 people were killed in an attack on the psytrance festival Supernova, with more still missing or being held hostage.
Access to electricity, food and water supplies was cut off from the besieged Palestinian territory, which has a population of 2.3 million people, nearly half of whom are children. Israel has since bombarded Gaza with deadly air attacks and launched a ground invasion. The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has now passed 8,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry [via AP].
Ravers for Palestine’s open letter reads: “We note that our electronic music community offers critical sites of liberation, resistance and community, particularly for queer and marginalised peoples.
“Yet we are also troubled to see that most of London’s electronic music venues and collectives have been silent in response to Israel’s horrifying and ongoing violence against the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, with the financial and political support of Western states.”
More than 800 scholars and practitioners of international law, conflict studies and genocide studies signed a separate open letter on 15th October warning of “the possibility of the crime of genocide being perpetrated by Israeli forces against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”.
On Friday (27th October), an overwhelming majority of nations – 120 countries – voted on a United Nations resolution calling for a “sustained humanitarian truce” in Gaza.
The following day (28th October) over 100,000 people marched in a pro-Palestine demo in London calling for a ceasefire [via Sky News]. It marked the third consecutive weekend of pro-Palestine marches in the capital.
The Ravers for Palestine open letter states further: “We note that the UK government is a critical supporter and funder of Israel’s bombardment and blockade of Gaza and has repeatedly refused to apply pressure on Israel to respect humanitarian law. This public support makes us as British citizens and residents complicit in the horrific suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
“Now is the time for action. We refuse to participate in spaces and collectives that ignore the violence of colonialism while simultaneously profiting from the creativity of musicians and artists from the global South and diaspora communities.
“We urgently call on London’s electronic music parties and spaces, as well as our fellow ravers and artists, to publicly declare their solidarity with the Palestinian people in the face of the brutal violence they are currently experiencing in Gaza.”
Read the open letter in full here.
Several electronic music compilations have been released in aid of Palestinian children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including ‘C2E – Emergency For Gaza’ and ‘From The River To The Sea’.
