STAND AGAINST THE KILLING OF ARTISTS
Stand against Israel’s targeting and murder of Palestinian artists and take action to halt global manufacturing and
sale of weapons.
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A BRIEF CONTEXT
"To all the stories that end before they should, and to all the dreams on the waiting list... We deserve life."
AYA SAMARA
ACTOR, WRITER & POET
ACROSS HISTORY
In 1936, popular poet Nuh Ibrahim was murdered by the British Mandate in Palestine. Israel has killed famous artists, including writer Ghassan Kanafani in Lebanon in 1972, writer and poet Kamal Nasser in Lebanon in 1973 and cartoonist Naji Al Ali in the UK in 1987.
THE FREEDOM THEATRE
In 2011, The Freedom Theatre’s Co-founder and Artistic Director, Juliano Mer Khamis, was assassinated outside the theatre. Whilst there has been no investigation or justice, Israel’s history of killing artists and their continued targeting of The Freedom Theatre suggests they might be behind his murder.
Between November 2022 and November 2023, five members of The Freedom Theatre were killed as part of attacks on Jenin Refugee Camp by the Israeli army. This includes in November 2023 17-year-old theatre participant Yamen Jarrar, 26-year-old Jehad Naghniyeh and 30-year-old Mohammed Matahen. In June 2023, 15-year-old Sadeel Naghnaghia and a 17-year-old theatre youth participant was also murdered, with Mahmoud Al-Sadibeing killed seven months prior.
GAZA
Since October 2023, an unprecedented number of writers, poets, theatremakers and journalists in Gaza have been killed. Many have been deliberately targeted, including poet, writer and academic Dr Refaat Alareer, who was murdered on December 7th 2023.
DEATH THREATS
Palestinian artists who are Israeli citizens often receive death threats. In 2016, writer and B.D.S. Co-Founder Omar Barghouti, whom the Israeli Minister of Intelligence threatened with “civil assassination” at a public conference in front of two hundred people and the world's media. In 2015, poet Doreen Tatour received multiple death threats and racist messages after she was released from prison, and settlers attempted to kill her three times.
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
The persecution, killing or causing severe mental or physical harm to a person, including artists, is considered a crime against humanity and can be tried in the International Criminal Court.
ARTISTS KILLED IN GAZA
Some of the artists killed in Gaza between 7th October 2023 and 7th January 2023.
Recorded by The Palestinian Ministry of Culture
EXAMPLES OF ACTION TO INSPIRE YOUR OWN
HOLD A VIGIL IN A CULTURAL SPACE
Art workers for Palestine held a vigil at the London Tate Modern art gallery calling for arts and cultural institutions to break their silence
MAKE KITES IN HONOUR OF REFAAT ALAREER
Make small and giant kites in honour of murdered artist Dr Refaat Alareer and as a symbol for all murdered artists.
CLOSE DOWN
A WEAPONS FACTORY
Around the globe groups are closing down weapons factories, including WORKERS FOR PALESTINE who read testimonies of Paslestine artists during their picket
SPREAD THE WORDS
OF ARTISTS
Most recently when much-loved poet, writer and academic Dr Refaat Alareer was deliberately murdered in Gaza, people rose to the challenge penned in his last poem: “If I die, you must live to tell my story”. The poem has been translated into 160 languages, and performed at vigils and Palestine solidarity rallies worldwide.
DEMAND A MEMORIAL
UCL ACTION FOR PALESTINE took direct action to demand that the Student Center by renamed “The Refaat Alareer Student Centre”. The University College London has still not issued a statement or acknowledged their former student Dr Refaat Alareer, the poet and writer who was murdered in November 2023.
MAKE THE WORDS OF MURDERED ARTISTS UNMISSABLE
At TAHRIR ENCAMPMENT, University of Michigan, students wrote Refaat Alareer’s poem "If I must Die" on a huge canvas so his words could not be missed.
CREATIVELY DISRUPT
AN ARMS FAIR
Outside a drone arms fair FAMILIES PER LA PAU organise creative disruption with BUBBLES NOT BOMBS. The event included giant bubbles, a huge painting and chalk drawings on the pavement.
GET YOUR UNION
TO JOIN THE CALL
TO STOP ARMING ISRAEL
WORKERS IN PALESTINE is a coalition of over 30 Palestinian trade unions and professional associations, issuing a united call to stop arming Israel. Follow the Workers Art Collective and get your collective of artists or union to join the call.
CREATE GIANT PUPPETS & BRING THEM TO THE PROTEST
Arts and Puppet Solidarity Contingent with Palestinian Artists, Poets and Theater bought giant puppets to the West Coast march in San Francisco.
One puppet honored Gaza artist Heba Zagout killed with two of her kids by an Israeli air strike on Oct 13.
READ TESTIMONIES FROM THE REVOLUTION'S PROMISE
The Revolution's Promise is a collection of testimonies from Palestinian artists under attack. They are available to read, perform and share in multiple languages at public events, protests, Universities and in your local community or groups. There is also a full-length script of 1hr, put together from some of the stories.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE REVOLUTION'S PROMISE >>
Below are testimonies in English specific to artists receiving death threats, attacks on their lives or those
who have been murdered.
JULIANO MER KHAMIS
ON CULTURAL RESISTANCE BEFORE HE WAS MURDERED
Juliano Mer Khamis was Co-founder and Artistic Director of The Freedom Theatre, who was murdered on 4th April 2011. Taken from interviews whilst he was alive, this text speaks of the dream of The Freedom Theatre and the role of cultural resistance.
RANIN ODEH
ON ATTACKS AT THE FREEDOM THEATRE & MURDER OF CHILD PARTICIPANTS, 2022 - 2024
Ranin Odeh, Child and Youth Co-ordinator at The Freedom Theatre, takes us through a year of attacks on the theatre. As three child participants are murder she continues to fight for the human and cultural rights of young people.
MOHAMMAD AL AZZA
ON BEING SHOT IN THE HEAD AND SURVIVING, 2013
Born and living in Aida Refugee Camp, Mohammad Al Azza is a documentarian and photographer and directs the Arts & Media Unit of Lajee Center in Aida Refugee Camp. In 2013 he was targeted and shot in the head by Israeli soldiers, an attack he survived.
DAREEN TATOUR
ON BEING IMPRISONED FOR WRITING POETRY, 2015 - 2018
Dareen speaks of the occupation and the violence towards women and children that led her to write the poem 'Resist My People Resist Them' and her consequent arrest and imprisonment.
FURTHER READING
THE LIFE AND WORK OF ARTISTS WHO HAVE BEEN KILLED HISTORICALLY
NUH IBRAHIM
POET & REVOLUTIONARY
Born in 1913, Nuh was called "the popular poet of the 1936 revolution". His poetry represented the beginning of the golden age of Palestinian folk poetry. Nuh was imprisoned by the British mandate who occupied Palestine. In 1936 they shot and murdered him at 25 years old.
KAMAL NASSER
POLITICAL LEADER, WRITER & POET
Born 1925 in Gaza, Kamal was educated in Political Science in Birzet University and later studied law. He was a Palestinian political leader, writer, and poet. He produced al-Ba‘ath newspaper from Ramallah and set up al-Jil al-Jadid (The New Era). Kamal was killed in West Beirut on the night of 1973 by Israeli special forces.
GHASSAN KANAFANI
WRITER & MEMBER OF THE PFLP
Born in 1936 in Akka, Ghassan was an author and a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. He wrote many famous stories, including 'Men In The Sun' and 'Return For Haifa. In 1972, at the age of 36, Ghassan was assassinated by Isreal in Beirut when he turned on the ignition of his car, detonating a grenade which in turn detonated a 3-kilo plastic bomb. He was murdered, together with his 17 old niece, Lamees Najim.
NAJI AL ALI
CARTOONIST
Born 1938, Naji is described as the greatest Palestinian cartoonist. He drew over 40,000 cartoons and is best known as the creator of the character Handala. Naji was murdered in London in 1987. Whilst it was never confirmed, it is suspected to be a Mossad assassination.
