Our PACBI Statement
Snap-Elastic publicly expresses our commitment to the cultural boycott of the state of Israel, and our pledge to endorse PACBI. PACBI (Palestinian Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel) is the area of the BDS movement that relates to arts and culture. PACBI advocates for a boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions for their complicity in Israel’s denial of Palestinian rights as stipulated in international law.
We believe it is the responsibility of arts organisations and artists in Scotland to participate in PACBI as part of our civic role, using our influence to bring about social change. We believe that this boycott is in alignment with our anti-racist and anti-oppression principles and our aim to promote an equitable society that is built on inclusion, generosity and care.
We commit to this boycott in the face of the genocide that Israel is committing against the people of Palestine, and the regime of settler colonialism, apartheid, and occupation that Israel maintains over the Palestinian people.
We recognise this genocide as ongoing and existent prior to 2023. Since 1948, Israel has denied Palestinians their fundamental rights and has refused to comply with international law. In 2005, Palestinian civil society asked for a global citizens’ response of solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice, and equality. They issued a call for boycott, divestment and solidarity (BDS) against the state of Israel until it complies with international law and recognises the rights of Palestinian people.
Snap-Elastic will not:
• participate in residencies, exchanges and co-productions funded by the Israeli government or state funded institutions
• contribute to cultural products that are commissioned by an official Israeli body or a non-Israeli body that promotes Israel
• Participate in projects intended to ‘normalise’ apartheid
• Participate in any residencies or exchanges that are sponsored by Israel, Israeli institutions or lobby groups
We would like to acknowledge that there are Israeli citizens who object to the zionist actions and genocide perpetrated by the Israeli state. This boycott is about Israeli institutions and not about individual artists. We condemn the targeting of Israeli artists based on their religion, race, culture or nationality.
We recognise that as a publicly funded arts organisation in the UK, Snap-Elastic is inherently part of the systems of postcolonial capitalism and white supremacy.
We condemn any form of anti-semitism and islamophobia and will never provide a platform for anti-semitic or islamophobic views.
BDS Cultural Boycott
https://bdsmovement.net/cultural-boycott
BDSBabe