PRESS RELEASE: LABIA CINEMA DENIES PSC ACCESS
Lynn Taylor
PRESS RELEASE: FROM THE MEMBERS OF THE PALESTINE
SOLIDARITY GROUP (NOW MERGED WITH THE PSC TO FORM THE PALESTINE
SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN) IN
ALLIANCE WITH COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions) SSJ, OSS
(Open Shuhada
Street), TAC (Treatment Action Campaign) 16 February 2012 “ROADMAP TO
APARTHEID” FILM NOT ALLOWED AT THE LABIA THEATRE, CAPE TOWN A few weeks
ago, the management of the Labia Theatre in Cape Town agreed to film the premiere of
ROADMAP TO APARTHEID in the Labia Theatre. The Palestine Solidarity Committee
was informed a few days ago by the Labia management that the venue will
no longer be available as it does not want to offend some of its clientele.
As far as we are aware, the Labia management has not actually seen the film
so we are not sure what their assessment is based on. The PSC has now
written a letter to the Labia management (below) and are considering legal
and other options. It is our view that pressure has been placed on the
Labia management to withdraw the venue for this premiere, thereby
infringing on the rights of a significant section of Cape Town’s population. This denial by
the Labia Cinema management for the PSC to screen the film is evidence once
again of the influence of the local Zionist lobby. It has successfully
created a climate of fear and intimidated establishments like the Labia not
to provide a democratic space for the public to get a fuller and more
truthful picture of the situation in Palestine
and the oppressive role of the Israeli regime. Under pressure from the
Zionists, the Labia management now proclaim neutrality and being
apolitical, very similar to the passive role they played in relation to
Apartheid in South Africa. Far from being
neutral and apolitical, the Labia’s actions actually declare its
support for the current status-quo vis-à-vis the oppression of
Palestinians and the Israeli colonial occupation of their land. We call on all
to show their opposition to the Labia cinema’s management. Below is our letter to the Labia Management: During the
apartheid years in South
Africa, many anti-apartheid activists
found in the Labia a space
where they could view movies that would not otherwise be
available. A place such as the Baxter Theatre also staged productions such
as “District Six the Musical” that gave significant hope to the people
struggling against apartheid. The Labia therefore has a proud history of
not simply being neutral
in a situation of oppression, but of giving hope to activists engaged in
various struggles around
the world. The
Palestine-Israel conflict is one such struggle happening at the moment and
in which people of South Africa
take a keen interest. We do so because we understand that “Being
neutral in a situation of
oppression means that you are on the side of the oppressor”. Our
first president, Nelson Mandela, made it clear that “South
Africans can never be free until the Palestinian people are free”. There are
those who believe that the struggle of the Palestinian people is one where
“there are two sides
to the coin” and that we should rather be neutral. The fact of the
matter is that Palestinian land is being grabbed as we write this. For
example, in the village
of Al Aqaba the
following is happening
at the moment: Marthie
Momberg who was there recently, writes: Some background: It's a lovely village, well managed by the mayor
and the proud inhabitants, very, very clean, everything is painted. When we left,
95% of the village had demolition orders - even the roads. What the
percentage is now after the new demolition orders, I do not know... The IDF declared this village as "military
training area" on account of "the fact" that the landscape resembles South Lebanon. ..The UN did recently say that the
demolitions in the West Bank (which is on
the increase) should stop.
Israel
needs international pressure. Let's do it. http://marthiemombergblog.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/demolitions-hebron-jericho-al-aqaba-alauja/ We therefore
do not accept the Labia management's reasoning that, after having committed
to the use
of the Labia for 4 March, they have now changed their mind (probably under
pressure from pro-Israel groups). We understand
this pressure; we experience it all the time. But if we give in to this
pressure, a large majority
of the citizens of Cape Town will be
deprived of clearly seeing what is happening in Palestine
and Israel
at the moment and our democratic space will have closed up. This is
something all
reasonable people need to resist lest we give in to a new kind of fascism. Finally,
regardless of the Labia management's position on Israeli apartheid or the
larger Palestine-Israel issue, this is also a matter of free speech. A move
by the Labia to withdraw a prior arrangement due to political pressure
will be protested not only by our partners in the Palestine solidarity
movement (including COSATU, SSJ, OSS, TAC etc.) but more generally by South Africans and
Capetonians who are furious with recent attempts to limit our freedom of
expression. This would
seriously tarnish the good image of the Labia. The SA Zionist Federation
tried to do this by
attempting to strip Archbishop-emeritus Tutu of his Patron status of the Holocaust Museum but faced a severe backlash for such
tactics. We therefore
call for a meeting with the Labia to discuss this as a matter of urgency. On
behalf of all members of the PSC and alliance organisations Martin Jansen, Chairperson of PSC (Phone 0828702025)
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