Musicians for BDS is a movement established and managed by a group of musicians aiming to impose an Artistic boycott on Israel using the collective power of the People of the Middle East, working in collaboration with artists, music venues, event promoters as well as other movements promoting the cultural boycott of Israel, in accordance with PACBI, The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.
Musicians For BDS focuses on pressuring Electronic Musicians and International DJs who still choose to perform in Israel after its Genocidal campaign on the Palestinians to either cancel their planned events or to not plan for it to begin with.
The movement aims to fight the attempts of the Zionist regime to “Artwash” the Atrocities, the Oppression and the 75 years old Ethnic Cleansing of the Palestinians perpetuated by Israel.
Statement of Principles
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Musician-led: Musicians for BDS is an independent movement founded by a group of a musicians collective and is not directly affiliated with any organisations or movements. The movement is self-funded and operates entirely on a volunteer-basis. Any offers for donations to the movement are appreciated but we prefer that those donations are sent to organisations operating on the ground in Gaza, Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Occupied territories.
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The Delegitimisation Mission: We oppose any artists or events that portray Israel as anything other than an occupying force, acting in defiance of international laws. Concerts, festivals, or events that disregard the plight of Palestinians and the oppressive role of the State of Israel, or seek to normalize Israel as a destination for events, will be denounced.
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Entities not Individuals: When calling for Boycotts, Divestments, or Sanctions, Musicians for BDS will target entities rather than individuals, whether they are bands, solo projects, booking agencies, or event organizers. We will never condemn an artist or an event based on nationality, ethnicity, race, religion or gender.
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Awareness-building: Recognizing the inadequacies of international mass media coverage, which often minimizes or even condones Israel's actions, we prioritize informing cultural entities intending to perform in Israel about the history of Israeli oppression and its impact on Palestinians. Our initial approach will always be to privately contact artists and event organizers, assuming they may be unaware, and provide them with factual information before making public calls for boycotts.
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Present-Focused: Artists, bands, and DJs who have previously performed in Israel prior to October 7th, 2023, will not be flagged by this movement as contributors to the Artwashing of Israel. As outlined in point 4, we extend the benefit of the doubt to all, equipping them with information supporting our case for the cultural boycott of Israel. However, those who choose to proceed despite being informed signify either indifference towards the genocide perpetrated by an occupying force or disregard for the region's sentiments, thereby inviting calls for boycotts and restrictions on future performances in the MENA region.
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Collaboration as a Strategy: The success or failure of this movement depends on collaboration. The movement will work closely with other Cultural Boycott movements, official BDS branches, venues, booking agents and promoters with regards to imposing boycotts on artists and entities that are directly or indirectly involved in the "Artwashing" of Israel's genocide and oppression of the Palestinians. Moreover, the movement will always attempt to explore alternative dates for events in the Middle East to support artists agreeing to cancel their shows in Israel.
