Less than a week later, Manchester's Home Theater, a popular British arts venue, took to social media to announce that it would be 'celebrating the voices of Palestine'. voice of resilience In April.
Two famous performers Maxine Peake and Kingsley Ben-Adir were also scheduled to appear at the event. Among the works scheduled to be read was a poem by Atef Abu Saif, who is also the current Minister of Culture of the Palestinian Authority.
Now, despite social media posts, the BBC reports that the event will no longer go ahead after receiving a letter from the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester (JRCGM).
JRCGM specifically claimed that the event should be canceled and that Abu Saif had previously advocated Holocaust denial. Comma Press, which hosted the event at the home theater, expressed disappointment over the cancellation of the event, calling it a “baseless and defamatory claim.”
The Home Theater later said in a statement that it is “a politically neutral space and is committed to welcoming the full range of artist expression.”
“Our concern for the home team, audience, artists and their safety is paramount. As it has recently become known around voice of resilience“This event has been cancelled.”
JRCGM told the BBC that home theaters had no reason to worry about safety issues, but that providing a platform for Abu Saif's work would “seriously damage community cohesion”.