Lee Child and Ozzy Osbourne among those standing against Israel writer boycotts
British authors Lee Child and Howard Jacobson as well as famous faces Ozzy Osbourne and Debra Messing are among those calling for the end of boycotts against Israeli authors, festivals and literary institutions.
More than 1,000 people from the literary and entertainment industry have signed an open letter from the group Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) in “support of freedom of expression and against discriminatory boycotts”.
Jacobson said: “Art is the antithesis to a political party. It is a meeting place, not an echo chamber. Art explores, discovers, differs, questions and surprises. Precisely where a door should be forever open, the boycotters slam it closed.”
He won the 2010 Booker Prize for The Finkler Question, which deals with what it means to be Jewish, as well as friendship.
Child said: “Politically targeting novelists, authors and publishing houses based on their nationality is misguided.
“At a time when dialogue is paramount and when compromise can lead to peace, castigation and blanket boycotts are counter-productive.
“The written word, and the dissemination of it, must always be protected, especially in times of heightened tension.
“To achieve peace, we must humanise one another and build bridges across communities through the open exchange of ideas. Literature allows for that. Boycotts hinder it.”
The letter from CCFP, whose mission says it is against boycotting Israel, says: “We believe that writers, authors and books — along with the festivals that showcase them — bring people together, transcend boundaries, broaden awareness, open dialogue and can affect positive change.”
“We believe that anyone who works to subvert this spirit merely adds yet another roadblock to freedom, justice, equality and peace that we all desperately desire.
“Regardless of one’s views on the current conflict, boycotts of creatives and creative institutions simply create more divisiveness and foment further hatred.”
