BBC forced to mention existence of Jewish anti-Zionists by protest at London Proms concert

“Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has blood on its hands”, say Jewish Artists for Palestine

The BBC has been forced to acknowledge the existence of anti-Zionist Jews after a ‘BBC Proms’ performance by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) in London was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters last night.

The recital had to stop for over ten minutes moments after it started as Jewish Artists for Palestine (JA4P), which the BBC was forced to describe as a group of “anti-Zionist Jewish writers, visual and performance artists” mounted the protest, shouting “The MSO has blood on its hands” and “The MSO is complicit” and holding up placards to the same effect.

The BBC, which had apologised for the interruption as the protest was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, was had to say in its coverage of the protest that:

[JA4P] said in a statement that the interruption was in rejection to “Zionist funding, censorship and complicity in our cultural institutions” over the Gaza war, including the MSO and the BBC.The BBC apologised for the disruption but said it was dealt with “swiftly” by the Royal Albert Hall…

Jewish Artists for Palestine said in a statement that it had targeted the MSO’s concert after they cancelled a performance by acclaimed pianist Jayson Gillham last year. Gillham’s performance in Sydney was cancelled due to comments he made in support of Gazans. The MSO has since said the cancellation had been a mistake. Shouts of “you silenced Jayson Gillham” and the “MSO is complicit in genocide” was [sic] also heard… Jewish Artists for Palestine also cited the MSO’s funding and previous performances that Friday night’s principal artist, Khatia Buniatishvili, had given with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

The BBC has previously censored coverage to hide the prominence of anti-Zionist Jewish groups at the forefront of anti-genocide protests, many of them persecuted by the Starmer regime for standing against genocide, and almost never includes anti-Zionist Jews in panels or even acknowledges their existence. It and other ‘mainstream’ media also routinely ignore, as the present Zionism as universally supported by UK Jews, the fact that most Orthodox Jews – who within a few years will represent a majority of British Jewry – as well as many secular Jews, are fiercely anti-Zionist and support the rights and self-determination of the Palestinian people against Israel’s occupation, apartheid and genocide.

Please remember to support Skwawkbox if you can, to help ensure it can keep running. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (Skwawkbox will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount as it has to be entered by us). Alternatively, if you prefer to make a one-off or recurring donation by simple card payment, please use the form below:

Thanks for your solidarity so Skwawkbox can keep doing its job of inconveniencing the right and helping to build the left!

If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so, but please include the donor information above – see here for more.