Filmmakers and artists have withdrawn their submissions from the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) after its organizers strongly condemned the use of the slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" at an opening night protest.
During a speech by IDFA artistic director Orwa Nyrabia, three activists took to the stage holding a sign with the slogan, which some deemed as a call for an Arab state of Palestine and others saw as antisemitic and calling for the extermination of the Jewish state of Israel.
Nyrabia reportedly joined sections of the audience in applauding the intervention, but later said he could not see the words on the banner from where he sat on stage.
"I clapped to welcome freedom of speech, and not to welcome the slogan," he said, adding that the slogan was a "triggering statement" and an "offensive declaration for many, regardless of who carries it".
Germany announced last week that it has listed "From the river to to the sea..." as a slogan supporting a radical Islamist group such as Hamas. This meant that its use in public could count as a criminal offense similar to the public display of the Nazi swastika.
However, the Dutch court of appeals upheld a previous ruling last month that the slogan deserved legal protection on free speech grounds.
IDFA Criticizes Pro-Palestine Slogan
According to The Guardian, the organizers of the IDFA - which would run from November 8 to 19 this year - said that the use of the "From the river to the sea..." slogan went against their aim to provide a safe space for civic debate.
"There are many ways that people use or read this slogan, and that various sides use it in opposing ways, all of which we do not agree with, and we believe that this slogan should not be used in any way and by anybody any more," the organizers said in a statement.
Before the festival's statement, 16 leading figures from the Israeli film industry signed an open letter expressing their "uttermost dismay, disappointment, and concern" during the protest and its eventual shutdown.
On the other hand, the Palestine Film Institute (PFI), a national body responsible for promoting the cinema of Palestine that is usually hosted by the festival for one day each year, organized protests against IDFA's condemnation of the pro-Palestine slogan.
As of Tuesday (November 14), 12 filmmakers have withdrawn their films from the festival at the behest of the PFI. Pro-Palestine filmmakers, arts organizations, and cultural workers have also boycotted the IDFA.
Among them was Basma al-Sharif, a juror of the festival's experimental "Envision" competition.
Al-Sharif has parents who were born in Palestine, and explained that the "From the river to the sea..." was an anti-apartheid slogan advocating a state in which people of all faiths had equal rights. By denouncing it, she added, the IDFA has aligned itself with what she called the Israeli government's "aggressive propaganda."
The slogan, in its most basic form, referred to the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, the territory which Israel mostly controlled.
Meanwhile, Palestinian filmmaker Mohamed Jalaby has not withdrawn his film "LIfe is Beautiful," which dealt with his own statelessness. This meant audiences could still watch the film.
"I want to be heard", Jalaby told the Guardian. "Because now that everything has been destroyed, what is left are our stories and freedom of expression."
