As we continue to bear witness to the ongoing genocide ethnic cleansing, occupation, and collective punishment of Palestinians enforced by the state of Israel and supported by Western governments, we Art Workers for Palestine Scotland, urgently call on members of the general public, audiences, arts, academic and cultural workers and cultural & academic institutions to take action and pledge their support for the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

We have previously called upon arts and cultural spaces, organisations and institutions to make public statements in solidarity with Palestine. We now ask that these spaces and organisations commit to concrete action by pledging publicly to the

Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.
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What is PACBI?

“The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) was initiated in 2004 to contribute to the struggle for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality. It advocates for a boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions for their deep and persistent complicity in Israel’s denial of Palestinian rights that are stipulated in international law.

PACBI is a founding member of the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), and is tasked with overseeing the academic and cultural boycott aspects of BDS.”^[1]

The cultural and academic boycott of Israeli institutions is based on “the fact that these institutions are complicit in the Israeli system of oppression that has denied Palestinians their basic rights guaranteed by international law, or has hampered their exercise of these rights”^[2] including freedom of movement, freedom of expression, academic freedom and the right to education^[3]. Academic and cultural institutions “are part and parcel of the ideological and institutional scaffolding of Israel’s regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid against the Palestinian people.” ^[4]


PACBI Guidelines:

PACBI Guidelines for commitment to the International Cultural Boycott of Israel: https://bdsmovement.net/pacbi/cultural-boycott-guidelines

PACBI Guidelines for commitment to the International Academic Boycott of Israel

https://bdsmovement.net/pacbi/academic-boycott-guidelines

What action can you take?

Members of the Public: We ask that members of the public, visitors and workers of arts, cultural and academic spaces pledge their support publicly for the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) by posting a AW4P PACBI Pledge Card on your social media.

Examples of actions could be: Posting the AW4PS PACBI Pledge card on your social media, writing to cultural and academic spaces to ask them to support the PACBI Pledge.

Arts and cultural workers: We ask that arts and cultural workers collectively demand that the arts and cultural spaces that they work in and publicly pledge to commit to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

Examples of actions could be: Organising a meeting amongst your staff team to discuss the PACBI Pledge and how you might put pressure on your organisation to sign up. Speaking with your trade union rep to see if your union will support you with this work or has advice to offer. Raising the endorsement of the PACBI pledge to your trade union branch to see if they will back the PACBI Pledge. Posting the AW4PS PACBI Pledge card on your social media. Adding the PACBI Pledge into your email descriptor. Speaking with other workers in organisations who have publicly backed the PACBI Pledge.

Arts and cultural spaces: We ask that arts and cultural spaces commit to concrete action by publicly committing to Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

Examples of actions could be: Making a statement on your website/ social media, Post the AW4PS PACBI Pledge card on your social media, newsletter and in email footers, encouraging others to join the PACBI Pledge, including information in your newsletter about the PACBI Pledge to widen knowledge around PACBI & BDS.

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