Photo: Instagram.com/emmawatson
Emma Watson‘s recent post in solidarity with Palestinians was backed by more than 40 international stars. The list includes fellow actors Susan Sarandon, Mark Ruffalo, Miriam Margolyes, Gael Garcia Bernal, Peter Capaldi, Maxine Peake, Viggo Mortensen, Steve Coogan, Charles Dance, Harriet Walte, and more.
Their support was voiced in a letter published by Artists for Palestine UK which reads, “We join Emma Watson in support of the simple statement that ‘solidarity is a verb’, including meaningful solidarity with Palestinians struggling for their human rights under international law. We oppose injustice anywhere in the world and stand with all those seeking an end to oppression.” It continued, “We recognize the underlying power imbalance between Israel, the occupying power, and the Palestinians, the people under a system of military occupation and apartheid, as described by Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, Israel’s leading human rights organization, and by Palestinian and international human rights experts.”
BREAKING: More than 40 figures from the world of film endorse Harry Potter star's message:
“We recognize the underlying power imbalance between Israel, the occupying power, & the Palestinians, the people under a system of military occupation and apartheid”https://t.co/6Eim6aiP6F— Artists for Palestine UK 🍉 (@Art4PalestineUK) January 13, 2022
The letter follows the backlash received by the Harry Potter actor for reposting a graphic by The Bad Activist Collective captioned with a quote by scholar Sara Ahmed that reads, “Solidarity does not assume that our struggles are the same struggles, or that our pain is the same pain, or that our hope is for the same future. Solidarity involves commitment, and work, as well as the recognition that even if we do not have the same feelings, or the same lives, or the same bodies, we do live on common ground.”
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While Danny Danon, a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations accused Watson of “being an anti-Semite”, Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations said, “Fiction may work in Harry Potter but it does not work in reality. If it did, the magic used in the wizarding world could eliminate the evils of Hamas (which oppresses women & seeks the annihilation of Israel) and the PA (which supports terror). I would be in favour of that!”.
The letter from Artists for Palestine UK also stated, “We condemn all forms of racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia. Opposition to a political system or policy is distinct from bigotry, hatred and discrimination targeting any group of humans based on their identity. We see the former as a legitimate and necessary form of political and ethical expression and the latter as racism – pure and simple.”
Founded in 2015, Artists for Palestine UK is aimed at “mobilizing British artists and audiences in support of Palestinian rights and towards achieving freedom, equality, and dignity for all people.”
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