Sour Note
A concert by Israeli musicians broadcast live on BBC radio had to be taken off air on Monday after it was sabotaged by demonstrators.
A group of five protesters purchased tickets to a performance of Mozart and
Ravel by the Jerusalem Quartet, held at Wigmore Hall near Marble Arch.
Seated in different sections of the venue they took turns to disrupt the
performance, shouting: "The quartet, who are cultural ambassadors for the
state of Israel, are promoting the interests of Israel and all its policies
against the Palestinians, to the British public."
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Wigmore Hall director John Gilhooly told the Jewish News: "One by one they
each stood up every five or 10 minutes. It was very well orchestrated."
Despite these constant interruptions, the concert continued. However, the
performance, which was being broadcast live on BBC Radio Three, had to be
taken off air.
An edited version will be aired on Saturday at 2pm after the musicians re-recorded sections of the concert after the disruption.
Gilhooly added: "It is a shock for us and upsetting. We can't condone any
disruption to artistic events which are non-political. We are not prepared to tolerate this kind of behaviour from anyone. The same treatment would
have been given to anybody disrupting a performance."
An audience member said: "The protesters did us all the power of good. There was a great spirit of solidarity in the hall after they were ejected. What a
pity they were not able to stay and share it with us!"
Alan Aziz of the Zionist Federation said: "It is a disgrace that individuals
such as these, who don't understand the complexities of the situation, are
able to conduct themselves like this. They have once again managed to
mis-represent the plight of the Palestinians."
This is not the first time the Jerusalem Quartet has fallen victim to
anti-Israeli protesters. In 2008 members of the Scottish Palestine
Solidarity Campaign disrupted a show at the Queen's Hall in Edinburgh by
using the same tactics of staggered interruptions.
Gilhooly, who has been director of Wigmore Hall for 10 years, added that he had never witnessed anything like it during his time at one of the world's
most prestigious live music venues.
He also noted that lunchtime concerts are often frequented by elderly
people. He said: "To subject them to this type of protest was very wrong."
Leader comment, page 10
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