Maxine Peake is among over 200 artists to have written to the Manchester venue Home asking it to reinstate Voices of Resilience which was cancelled over fears for safety concerns for the artists
Their decision followed a letter from Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester claiming that a featured writer, Atef Abu Saif, had engaged in antisemitism and Holocaust denial.
In a statement the theatre said that it was a politically neutral space, committed to welcoming the full range of artist expression.
“Our concern for the team at HOME, our audiences and artists, and their safety is paramount.”
Manchester based publisher Comma Press who organised the event said they are deeply disappointed with the decision and in a statement say that they are
“We are also deeply concerned about the baseless and libelous allegations against one of our Palestinian writers, Atef Abu Saif, issued by the lobby group, the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester (JRC), and repeated by the Manchester Evening News. The allegations include the claims that Atef Abu Saif is a ‘confirmed antisemite’ and a ‘holocaust denier’. This is utterly false.”
Now the Artists for Palestine group have said on X
The Manchester venue HOME has cancelled ‘Voices of Resilience’, a sold-out event of Palestinian prose and poetry read by members of the Palestinian community. This followed pressure from a pro-Israel organisation.
The letter states that
“As theatremakers, film-makers, artists and cultural workers, many of whom have had work staged at Home, we condemn this cowardly decision to silence the voices of Palestinians and to contribute to their erasure during an ongoing genocide.”
