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Protesting Batsheva Dance Company’s MN performance

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The University of Minnesota brought the Batsheva Dance Company of Tel Aviv to Minneapolis for one performance on February 18th, 2009. This is a violation of the 2004 Palestinian call to “comprehensively and consistently boycott all Israeli academic and cultural institutions”and the 2005 call of 171 Palestinian civil society organizations for broad boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel.

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Above: One of the “Blood on your hands” flyers hung in the toilet of Northrop Auditorium during Batsheva’s performance.

This dance company is funded by the Israeli government and is considered a “leading ambassador” of the Israeli government, by the Israeli government.

Several of Batsheva’s members are serving Israeli reservist soldiers. An atypically high number of reservist units in the Israeli army were deployed in the Gaza Strip–where an indisputable slaughter was carried out, with terrible stories published even in mainstream sources.

Bringing Israel government-funded, dancing Israeli soldiers to town after the gratuitous massacre of innocents in Gaza is utterly unacceptable.

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It was amazing to see people get excited about the protest, not just in Minnesota, but around the country at other protests. There was definitely a really good feeling of coming together to try a new angle. And it worked. It was no small thing to see 60 people at an outside protest of an Israeli dance company in 10°F/-12°C Minnesotan winter weather. It was obvious that Gaza had been the final straw for a lot of people.

Articles

Star Tribune: Critics urge Sen. Klobuchar to condemn Israeli assault

She urged aid for Gazans and said, “We need to work toward a cease-fire.” Coleman and McCollum faced small protests. In a tense conference room, protesters urged Klobuchar to condemn Israel for the bombings of Gaza, which she refused to do.

By RANDY FURST

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The meeting, which was polite but tense, culminated a day of demonstrations by protest groups that picketed the building on Washington Avenue South in Minneapolis where Klobuchar has her office. Earlier in the day, about 70 people held a rally in the building’s lobby.

A small protest was held outside Sen. Norm Coleman’s Twin Cities office, said Mary Beaudoin, director of Women Against Military Madness, who was there. And two or three protesters went to U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum’s office and met with her district manager, McCollum spokeswoman Cleve Mesidor said.

In the meeting at Klobuchar’s office, she listened intently as one activist after another implored her to oppose the Israeli bombings.

Among those at the meeting were members of a Jewish group that opposes Israel’s military policies toward the Palestinians, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, and several peace groups, including Women Against Military Madness and the Anti-War Committee.

One activist placed a large color photo in front of Klobuchar of a man carrying what appeared to be a child who had been badly mutilated by the bombings.

Klobuchar admitted to being affected by the photo. She said she had sympathy for people on both sides of the conflict and, as a result of the discussion, would push for humanitarian aid.

Pressed by the protesters to denounce Israel, Klobuchar said, “I am not condemning what Israel has done as you have asked me to do.” But, she added, “We need to work toward a cease-fire and I would like to see a cease-fire in place.”

LeRoy Coleman, communications director for Sen. Coleman, said, “While Senator Coleman strongly believes that Israel has a right to defend itself, he calls on both sides to quickly work towards a lasting cease-fire. However, a cease-fire cannot just be a short term opportunity for Hamas to regroup.”

During the afternoon rally, Humaira Afzal, communications director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, appealed to Minnesota’s congressional delegation to mount pressure to end the conflict, saying the bombing of Gaza will fuel hatred of America and American interests “and will be used by extremists to recruit more individuals and justify their attacks.