Protests against Batsheva Dance Company
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Protests against Batsheva Dance Company

Protests and boycott calls have followed the Batsheva Dance Company as it makes its way across North America. Actions in Vancouver, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles all served to draw attention to Occupation crimes in Gaza and raise awareness about the growing BDS movement.

***image1***From early to mid February, Batsheva toured in the northeastern part of North America and was met by organized protests. Actions were held in Vancouver, Ann Arbor, Chicago and Pittsburgh. In Chicago, some 75 people staged a noisy action outside the performance, highlighting the destruction of Gaza and calling for boycott. In Pittsburgh, a similar protest was organized by a coalition of progressive organizations.

On the West Coast, the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel under it’s first planned action, holding a demonstration and display of political art outside Royce Hall at UCLA, where the dance troupe was performing. According to the Daily Bruin, a majority of the 50 protestors were professors, with students constituting the rest of the group.

The Batsheva Dance Company is targeted on account of it’s high profile and ties with the Occupation. Not only are several members army reservists, but the company also serves important cultural representative of Israel, often called a “leading ambassador” of the Israeli government, and as such receives government funds.

Protests against the company are set to continue. Tomorrow, Adalah – NY is mounting a protest and counter performance of dabka outside the Howard Gilman Opera House, as part of the ongoing Israeli Apartheid Week.

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