Nearly 300 electronic musicians and collectives sign Ravers For Palestine open letter

Nearly 300 DJs, producers, collectives and venues connected to London’s underground music scene have signed an open letter calling for the electronic music scene to “urgently speak out against Israel’s brutal and ongoing attack on Gaza”.

The open letter was organised by Ravers for Palestine, a horizontal collective of artists, DJs and individuals engaged in London’s electronic music scene, in order to highlight the solidarity between these individuals in support of Palestinians, as well as demand established music industry institutions take action to oppose the siege of Gaza.

The letter states: “We note that our electronic music community offers critical sites of liberation, resistance and community, particularly for queer and marginalised peoples.

“Yet we are also troubled to see that most of London’s electronic music venues and collectives have been silent in response to Israel’s horrifying and ongoing violence against the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, with the financial and political support of Western states.”

Artists who have signed the open letter include Ahadadream, Bok Bok, Florentino, Manuka Honey, Objekt, Ross From Friends, Sarra Wild, Tash LC and Yazzus.

On October 9, Israel declared a “complete siege” of Gaza, cutting access to electricity, food and water supplies to the region with a population of 2.3 million while bombing it from land, sea and air. Israel dropped more than 6,000 bombs during the first six days — more than the US-led coalition dropped on ISIS in a month at the height of their bombing campaign in August 2017 — including on schools and hospitals, which has been condemned by the UN.

The Palestininan health ministry has said the death toll is 6,747 people, including 2,913 children, with the UN warning “many more will die”.

The siege follows an attack by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group which governs Gaza, against Israel on October 7, including the attack on the Supernova psytrance festival, with a death toll surpassing 1,400 people, according to the Israel Defence Force, as well nearly 200 people taken hostage.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has indicated his view that all people living in the Gaza Strip are responsibile for Hamas’ attack.

Earlier this week Oxfam accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war against civilians in Gaza.

More than 800 scholars and practitioners of international law, conflict studies and genocide studies signed an open letter on October 15 warning of “the possibility of the crime of genocide being perpetrated by Israeli forces against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”.

The Ravers for Palestine open letter also says: “We note that the UK government is a critical supporter and funder of Israel’s bombardment and blockade of Gaza and has repeatedly refused to apply pressure on Israel to respect humanitarian law. This public support makes us as British citizens and residents complicit in the horrific suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.

“Now is the time for action. We refuse to participate in spaces and collectives that ignore the violence of colonialism while simultaneously profiting from the creativity of musicians and artists from the global South and diaspora communities.

“We urgently call on London’s electronic music parties and spaces, as well as our fellow ravers and artists, to publicly declare their solidarity with the Palestinian people in the face of the brutal violence they are currently experiencing in Gaza.”

Last week calls were made for a strike in solidarity with Palestine from within the dance music community, and in 2018 a #DJsforPalestine movement recieved backing from artists such as Four Tet, Caribou, Ben UFO and Laurel Halo.

The modern day Israel-Palestine conflict dates back decades, with many considering the starting point as the 1947 United Nations’ vote by British mandate to partition the land of Palestine into two states – one Jewish, one Arab – following the violence against Jewish people in Europe during the Second World War and Holocaust. The partition was not accepted by Palestine or neighbouring Arab countries, leading to multiple wars and violence in the region. There has been increasing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory since 1967.

The Ravers for Palestine open letter concludes: “We call on our community to publicly condemn the indiscriminate bombardment and blockade currently being inflicted by Israel on Gaza and to recognise the essential context for this violence—the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes during the Nakba in 1948 and the subsequent 75-year Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands alongside the construction of what Amnesty International calls an “apartheid state” that uses “discriminatory laws to systematically dispossess Palestinians of their land and homes for the benefit of Jewish Israelis”.

“We insist that queer liberation is inextricable from the ongoing global struggle against imperialism and colonialism. If queer music venues in London do not now publicly stand against the attempted erasure and extermination of Palestinians, their advocacy in support of queer causes is hollow and their claims to embody dissidence, liberation and resistance are forever void.”

Read the full open letter here.

Find a list of artists who have signed the letter below.

Signed:

ahadadreamallyXpressAndrømedaAngel D’liteanuãssia ghendirArchitectBianca OblivionBok BokBuggery GripsChandéChippy nonstopCITYTRONIXCosmic CazCRYSTALLMESSDalston SuperstoreDJ Fingerblast (Planet Fun)ErrolFEMIFlorentinoGeorge RileyGiant SwanHALFQUEENJurangoKlahrkLYZZAMachine GirlManuka HoneyMetristMia KodenMica CocaMr AssisterMun SingNARANihalObjektRoss From FriendsSandra JPSarra WildScalymothShannen SPSilvia KastelSlowfoamSputnik OneTash LCThe Three Wheel DriveTristan ArpTSVIumruVoicedroneWednesdaywhiteroseWordcolourX3butterflyYazzusZnzl

Further signatories:

+777000030.radio1-800 GIRLS7 PERCENTAbstract ManadiAlexis De La RosaAltBlaxAnjaliARCHANGELAreliz RamosAriesfallenangelAsher FynnAssyoutiAstrid SonneAtrialiaAVGDJAvsAyanababy___aslBad Behaviorbby_spinnageBeatrice M.BennaBeno SiralyBeringeiBoyfriend DickBrunneraByulahC. TiveyCaroline the DJChahine•••Charles the PrincessCHERICielColdcolectaCosmo SofiCottamCritical Youth Sound SystemCurlisuD'MonkDextra MandrakeDifferent ShadesDINADj Aaron LazoDJ Double Oh!DJ GUREYdj oscDJ TubeibiDobbsDotwavnotwaveDoulaDr BananadrexthisiscoldDrumz Of The SouthDubrunnerEarful of WaxEggpuddle123El KidELEANOREm:lkaeoin djetdalEva Lovelessexcel djexellaEzyFazah the mazzaFlamingodsFocusedforma oscuraFranklinGabor MattyGabsGGI 끼Giovanni CoppolaGisou GolshaniGLITTER55golcherGrace | غريسGreshaGrinderteethGulliver WhitbyHandsome TigerHang The DJsHaniharliiharleyharleeHerbie EnnorHVNIfeoluwaIkävä PiiIllegal datainstarIshaIYESHAJake rollinsonJames KJc villainjjjacobJltejob typeJoel DeepJoshua Milújpeg.lovejulineJumping Back Slashjung latchJunior XLkareinaKasiaKiik AmorKissenKoodeta ClubKUNTEAALagoon FemshaymaLazy RosarioLeala-RainLis DaltonLITNEYLo.SaiLOUIISLove Muscle (Leeds)Luca manningLudwig wandingerLUMAluzLVRAMain PhaseMaKMakaleaMalik POLOMami ChulaManuka HoneyMarius BøMarwa Belhaj YoussefMarylouMaxfield KirkMDOTMechanical HeavenMera Bhaimetal upaMidnightswamiMiladMilk ShandyMinxtMisterrChaMo ProbsMoleMosaiMunaMvcokoNadīnegevNikNakNot MassNymph3tamineOkay AllieOperation 4.0ophélieoptionlistpetPhotographerPlanetmoosePLANNINGTOROCKPlantainchippsplygidPrincess XixiPrinx SilverPsykhQ-BRARabzraffikaRainstickRainy MillerRamseyRedd OphisRepetitive StrainRi MistryRohan RakhitRosa TheodoraRoxanneS/HES4M23Saint HypocrisySam PV (Pumping Velvet)Sam Valiant / MOSantx JumanaSapphyreSarahssonscruzséverineSHIR.INShort HairShrek666shrikeSian Nevenicolaside II sideSIMSimiseasinnySkepticSkies UpSkinny DuchampSKORPION KINGSlaystar royco productionsSleepy JeanslmvxSlumberjunkieSonny FlexenStonestoneypieSweet BasilSXCLSylvia Shale (Obsolete Future)TAIM8tape_2046Temporary PleasureTFNE SK - Club SirenTHEMPRESSTiborTMDSTony PolandTooth RustTranslucidTurbo MiffyTV SHOWWUnderarrestunpersonur love affairUrsula HollidayVARSHAXalimoYear of the RatYonezYoungWomanyourboykiranYung ReenieZar