The UK Home Office has refused visas to all Palestinian artists set to perform at a major Nakba commemoration in London, prompting organizers to postpone the event.
"Voices of Solidarity II", a Palestinian-led cultural event due to take place at the Troxy music venue on 14 May, was set to mark 78 years since the Nakba through music, comedy and live performances while raising funds for healthcare workers in Gaza, News.Az reports, citing The New Arab.
The event was organised by Health Workers for Palestine, MARSM and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and featured a line-up including Khalid Abdalla, Juliet Stevenson, Maxine Peake and Brian Eno.
Speaking to The New Arab, actor and activist Khalid Abdalla said organisers were shocked after every Palestinian artist invited to the event had their visa application rejected.
"It was a real painful shock to receive news that every Palestinian artist that we applied for visas for to come to the event commemorating the Nakba on the 14th of May at the Troxy, every single Palestinian artist was denied their visa," Abdalla said.
"That was a huge shock, a painful one, and one that for me smacks of the depth of the lack of acknowledgement of Britain's role in what has happened to Palestinians over the last 80 years."
Abdalla said Palestinian artists should have been "fast-tracked specifically" for a Nakba commemoration event in Britain, citing the UK's historic role in Palestinian displacement.
"If Britain wants to play any role whatsoever in the healing that needs to happen after the genocide and to promote a better future for everyone, the short-sighted blindness of the Home Office's decision is absolutely shocking to me," he added.
Organisers said the event would not be cancelled permanently but postponed to a later date, which has not yet been confirmed.
"I'm certain it's going to be an even greater, better event," Abdalla said.
In comments to TNA, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign said: "The event has been postponed for a future date when we can ensure participation from diverse Palestinian artists, which is our priority."
The event had been expected to feature a broad range of Palestinian and international performers, including musicians, poets, comedians and actors, in what organisers described as a night of "culture and resistance".
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