Published: 7 January 2022
Last updated: 4 March 2024
About 80 protesters gathered ahead of the opening night of Decadance; Kiss guitarist Gene Simmons, film producer Emile Sherman call boycott 'an affront to Palestinians and Israelis'
AS THE NUMBER of festival shows affected by the boycott grew to 29, the letter from US-based entertainment industry organisation Creative Community for Peace has also drawn support from The Adventures of Priscilla director Stephan Elliott, American singer-songwriter Diane Warren and former Paramount Pictures head Sherry Lansing.
The letter says the boycott âturns the festival from an opportunity for unity into a weapon of divisionâ and that âart should never become subservient to politicsâ.
About 80 protesters gathered outside the Sydney Opera House ahead of the first performance of Decadance on Thursday night.
Nick Riemer, from the Palestine Justice Movement, told them he was overwhelmed by the support for the boycott.
Stephen and Debbie Scholem, who were attending the dance performance, held signs in opposition to the boycott.
âI wouldnât call it a protest,â she said. âWe feel that festival boycotts are useless, and only create friction.
âThey have no purpose because arts is not a political stage. To boycott something like the Sydney Festival is pointless and we feel strongly enough to stand as say âsay no to festival boycottsâ. â
Boycott co-organiser Fahad Ali said 22 shows had either withdrawn from the event or been cancelled, with another seven disrupted as individuals joined the boycott.
FULL STORY Gene Simmons, Emile Sherman among big names opposing Sydney Festival boycott (SMH)
