Daphne Anson: "See You At Sadler's Wells!": Anti-Israel Demagogue Promises Batsheva "The Welcome They Deserve" (video) (with updates)

Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East. (From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Friday, 31 August 2012

"See You At Sadler's Wells!": Anti-Israel Demagogue Promises Batsheva "The Welcome They Deserve" (video) (with updates)

In customary demogogic style, Mick Napier, who heads the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, denounces the Balfour Declaration and the resulting Zionist Entity, where, he tells a hugely receptive crowd on Al Quds Day, "the racism, the torture, is deep and long-lasting," and he proclaims "the criminals can be defeated!". "Israel's name is already dark and horrible" he cries, vowing that it will be made "even worse". To acclaim, he screams that Israel's young people should be encouraged to leave the country, and that when the Batsheva Dance Company visits Edinburgh this week he and his cohorts will give it "the welcome it deserves." (See this report on that "welcome" last evening, and see below for an account by one of the disrupters.) He foreshadows the same when Batsheva performs in London at the end of November: "See you at Sadler's Wells!"

As for the canard that "Israel is for the white man," well, it's not, of course. Regarding that infamous quotation (wrongly) attributed to the Interior Minister (who was merely quotiing the views of some Sudanese refugees), Napier and friends should read this.

Of the disruptions to last night's Edinburgh performance, Zionist Federation stalwart Jonathan Hoffman says:

"The majority of the Edinburgh audience showed its disgust at these cultural terrorists by loudly applauding Batsheva. Hopefully the protesters were arrested for the offence of aggravated trespass - or whatever is the equivalent in Scottish law. The cultural terrorists are always the same people which shows that the Israel-haters are not persuading anyone. It takes a very special brand of ill-mannered coward to interrupt an arts event for which the audience has paid good money"

Update: Hat tip to reader Shirlee for finding this account of the disruption by Shin Kicker, one of those whom Jonathan Hoffman aptly refers to as "cultural terrorists":

"The 30th August was the opening night for the Israeli state-sponsored Batsheva dance group at the Edinburgh Festival....

Meanwhile outside on Leith Walk friends and allies gathered on the street for Palestine as part of the 'Don't Dance with Israeli Apartheid' (DDwIA)campaign.

The 'Friends of Al-Aqsa, The 'SPSC', 'Edinburgh University SJP', Unison, 'Scottish Jews for a Just Peace' 'J-BIG' and the 'Socialist Workers Party' were among those there 250 strong. Placards, flags and banners provided a colourful spectacle.

Passers-by were given leaflets, car horns were blown in support and the chants of "Free Palestine" echoed in Edinburgh. The wonderful singing of the 'Protest in Harmony' group lent a musical air to the gathering....

"Your ticket is covered in Palestinian blood!" was the chant that greeted patrons ....

Inside the theatre 12 activists had surreptitiously gained entrance to disrupt the show at appointed times. Outside we knew approximately when this would be and the crowd went quieter almost as if in anticipation of events taking place inside which were confirmed when a file of police officers urgently entered the theatre.

And so the first group came out to rousing cheers and a rapturous ovation. They had done their job and as Kate described to the throng “The lights went out, the dancing stopped” and not for the first time this evening. Pete spoke of the “aircraft carrier for the U.S in the Middle-East” that is the Israeli state, part of an "Imperial Alliance" serving western interests at the expense of the Palestinians.

The chanting hardly stopped for the three hours that the 'DDwIA' protest lasted and was only interrupted by cheers for the activists who were ejected and appeared triumphantly at the front door and welcomed like movie stars in a Leicester Square première...."

Read all of Shin Kicker's account here

Here' a relevant video that predates the disruption; explains the uploader:

'On August 14th the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign picketed the Scottish Parliament's "Culture Summit" in protest against the Israeli suppression of Palestinian culture, and the invitation of the Israeli Batsheva Dance Group to the Edinburgh Festival.

Following its recent tour of the OPT [sic; to judge by the PSC's logo this means all of Israel] the San Ghan'ni group joined us to sing songs of freedom and resistance.'

And another, featuring cameo appearances from Napier:

If I find any videos of the disruption I'll post them here.
Update:
Go to Richard Millett's blog here to see the ferals in action

For more on Batsheva see here and here

8 comments:

Daphne Anson31 August 2012 at 21:38
I've been informed that Israel-haters screamed abuse at people entering the Edinburgh theatre to watch Bathsheva last evening and that the performance was disrupted three times. I'm told Mr Napier was on hand, with his bullhorn.
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Daphne Anson31 August 2012 at 22:00
Here's more, from an eyewitness, written last night:
"Hard core PSC turned up around 19.00.
Before that it was mostly the sort of middle aged Marxist/ socialist worker we see in London....
Mostly well behaved until Napier took the bull horn. After that and until 19.30 the fanatics went into overdrive screaming abuse at all those entering the theatre....
On entering it was apparent that security was almost entirely absent. I got in without even showing my ticket. There was one trestle table for security inspection but most people simply walked past it.... I voiced my concerns to security but nobody seemed particularly interested....
The performance began 15 minutes late and the first of three interruptions occurred about 10 mins in. Bat Sheva immediately stopped but the reaction of the audience was impressive. There was a spontaneous standing ovation with cries of Bravo which lasted two minutes and completely drowned out the agitators.
Once they were ejected, the audience sat down and Bat Sheva carried on. Again at the end there was another standing ovation....
Tomorrow Erev Shabbat.... No doubt the fascists will succeed in creating further disruption but as mentioned earlier in reality they achieve next to nothing...."
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Empress Trudy31 August 2012 at 22:07
I respectfully submit that neo brownshirts must be met with force. Only force.
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Jonathan Hoffman31 August 2012 at 22:40
http://cifwatch.com/2012/08/07/toothless-pcc-upholds-indy-bloggers-right-to-grossly-mislead-readers-about-israel/

Daphne - In falsely quoting Yishai as saying "Israel is for the White Man" the vile Mick Napier even distorts the gross distortion that was in the Independent, see above link.
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Daphne Anson3 September 2012 at 02:57
Great article here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2196383/Artistic-anti-Semitism-racial-hatred.html
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Anonymous5 September 2012 at 14:47
I suggest the following counter chant.

"From the River to the Sea,

palestine Will Never Be."

Wishing Mickey Napier and his fellow fascists a Happy and ETERNAL Nakba!
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Daphne Anson5 September 2012 at 17:48
See footage here
http://richardmillett.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/israels-batsheva-dances-on-in-edinburgh-despite-psc-invasions/
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