Free Speech on Israel has written to Sajid Javid, UK Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, calling on him to resist a campaign to shut down Palestine Expo, Europe’s largest ever social, cultural and entertainment event on Palestine, scheduled for July 8/9 in London.
The letter says:
“We ask you to not merely reject the voices calling for suppression of dissemination of knowledge about Palestinian culture; we hope you will actively welcome this manifestation of the richness and diversity of London’s communities.”
Dear Sajid Javid
Palestine Expo at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre
I am writing on behalf of Free Speech on Israel, a Jewish led group campaigning against restrictions on debate and discussion about Israel and Palestine.
We are concerned at reports that you are being lobbied to deny use of the QEII Centre for Palestine Expo (PalExpo) due to take place on 8-9 July. The approaches to you, which the initiators have put into the public domain, are made on the basis of spurious and unsubstantiated accusations of the organisers’ links to terrorism and promoting ‘Jew Hate’. They are being made with the aim of denying London the chance to celebrate Palestinian culture.
Cancellation of the event would be a clear infringement of free expression. Acquiescing to calls for cancellation would run counter to the Prime Minister’s clearly expressed intention that Britain, and London in particular, must resist the attempts of terrorists in Westminster, Borough and Finsbury Park to make us fearful of each other. She has asked us, rather, to welcome all our communities.
Holding PalExpo in Westminster would remind the whole nation that Palestinians have fascinating and rich culture and history and that our view of them must not be locked into a narrow narrative of violence.
We ask you to not merely reject the voices calling for suppression of dissemination of knowledge about Palestinian culture; we hope you will actively welcome this manifestation of the richness and diversity of London’s communities.
Free Speech on Israel
This is a crucial test of free speech that the Israeli Embassy has tried so often to suppress .
To ban a cultural festival is a purely racist act
We know the Israeli Embassy hard been bribing and threatening MPs in order to get their allegiance . We must vresist any more of this intereference in our affairs