BRUSSELS, October 3, 2025 (WAFA) – Over 300 Dutch and Belgian cultural and arts institutions have announced a cultural boycott of Israel over the latter’s genocidal war on Gaza and occupation of the West Bank, according to Anadolu Agency (AA).
It reported that 302 museums, arts and cultural organizations, and 878 individual artists in the Netherlands and Belgium said the cultural sector could no longer remain silent in the face of “war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide recognized by all competent authorities.”
“As members of the Dutch and Belgian cultural sector, we refuse to stand by in the face of genocide against the Palestinian people,” the statement said.
According to the Dutch News website, among the Dutch participants are TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, the Bonnefanten museum in Maastricht, the Oostpool theatre in Arnhem, and the Nederlands Theater Festival in Amsterdam. Among the signatory artists were artist Marlene Dumas, writer Tom Lanoye, and choreographer Alain Platel.
It added that the boycott is aimed exclusively at Israeli cultural organisations and companies connected with the state, for instance, by subsidies. Only organisations that are “not complicit in the breach of international law and have spoken out against the genocide, the recognised illegal occupation and apartheid” will be exempt, the statement said.
The statement recalled that cultural boycotts had contributed to the end of apartheid in South Africa, noting that more than 5,000 film professionals and 400 musicians had recently taken similar steps against Israeli institutions.
“This cultural boycott alone will not stop genocide and occupation,” the declaration said. “That is why we call on sports, academia, business and politics to also sever ties. Only together can we force Israel to comply with international law.”
K.F.
