THE DANISH ART SCENE
DENOUNCES THE
GENOCIDE in gaza
Dear all, We are a group of artists, curators, and art communicators from the Danish art scene who have written an open letter in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The letter raises the same demands to Danish politicians as those already voiced by more than 200 authors, 800 filmmakers, and 1,000 members of the music industry in recent months. We very much hope that you will sign the letter.
To Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S), Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M), Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen (V), Minister for Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt (M), the Danish government, and the Danish Parliament.
We, as artists, curators, art communicator, and other cultural workers, write this open letter in solidarity with the Palestinian people. We are horrified, outraged, and in grief over your continued inaction and lack of empathy for the people of Gaza. We hereby align ourselves with a series of simple demands already voiced by thousands of Danish authors, filmmakers, and members of the music industry.
We demand that you, our elected government, open your eyes and face reality. A reality in which Israel – whom you have relentlessly supported throughout their deadly aggression in Gaza – is not merely “defending itself” but is actively attempting to eradicate the Palestinian people and their culture.
Every day, we work to create and communicate visual art. We know what images can do and the power they hold. Images can reveal the truth and tell stories that are otherwise unimaginable. They act as testimony. The images we have seen coming out of Gaza over the past 22 months speak a clear and harrowing language of their own. They bear witness to a genocide.
We have seen images of bodies crushed under Israeli tanks and people collecting intestines from rubble-strewn streets. We have seen severed limbs, blood-soaked aid packages, and bombed-out refugee camps, schools, hospitals, and ambulances. We have seen children engulfed in flames searching helplessly for their murdered family members, and parents carrying the remains of their beloved little ones in plastic bags. These images are forever imprinted in our minds, as clear evidence of Israel’s crimes against humanity and the complicity of Western leaders in this genocide. It is incomprehensible that Israel still has your support, even after countless recognized experts and global humanitarian organizations have identified their actions as genocide. Even now, as the people of Gaza are being starved to death due to Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid, you hesitate to act. This is unacceptable, and we refuse to let your inaction and inhumanity make us complicit – this is why we speak out.
Since October 2023, Israel has destroyed more than 90% of Gaza’s housing, either fully or partially, leveling entire neighborhoods. In addition to residential areas, refugee camps, schools, universities, and hospitals, Israel has, according to UNESCO, destroyed more than 100 culturally significant buildings to date. The targeted destruction of Gaza’s arts and cultural life was already addressed by renowned Palestinian artist Emily Jacir in January 2024: “It’s very targeted and very systematic, and it’s something to consider also in relationship with the targeted destruction of culture in Gaza, art centers being bombed. Why would an art center be bombed? Because part of genocide is precisely silencing artists and silencing a culture’s cultural production.”
As witnesses to what is happening in Gaza, we all have a responsibility. As artists and cultural workers, we are obligated to break the silence when a people’s cultural heritage and art are under threat of erasure. And as human beings, we cannot silently watch while Palestinians – both in Gaza and the West Bank – are displaced and murdered by an occupying force for the 77th year in a row. As elected officials, you have a duty to prevent crimes against humanity – after 22 months, it is clear that you have failed to uphold that duty. Western governments and institutions, through their passivity and glaring silence, have betrayed the Palestinian people – and history will not judge that silence kindly.
We demand more than words. We demand political will – and action. No more empty statements. No more promises without consequences.
With this statement, the Danish art scene joins the demands already made by more than 200 authors, 800 filmmakers, and 1,000 professionals in the music industry:
Denmark must recognize Palestine as an independent state.
Denmark must cease all arms trade with Israel, including both imports and exports – direct and indirect, such as through the F-35 cooperation.
Denmark must accept wounded Palestinians from Gaza for medical treatment, as we share responsibility.
Denmark must, through its leading position at the UN, actively work to ensure that all member states support the ICC and ICJ rulings, including arrest warrants and advisory opinions concerning Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
Denmark must, through its leadership in the EU, actively push for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement (which has shaped trade relations between the EU and Israel for the past 25 years) until Israel:
ends its military campaign in Gaza and lifts the blockade,
ensures free and safe working conditions for aid workers,
ensures free and safe access for international press,
ends the annexation of the West Bank and lifts the occupation of Palestine.
Additionally, we issue a direct demand to the Ministry of Culture and Danish art institutions: Take responsibility for supporting, preserving, and exhibiting Palestinian art and culture, which is currently being actively erased – not only in Gaza and the West Bank, but also in Western institutions where numerous Palestinian and pro-Palestinian artists have been cancelled and censored due to their nationality, heritage, or support for Palestine.
No one in the future will be able to claim they did not see or understand what was happening in Gaza – the thousands of images live-streamed to our screens over the past two years are undeniable testimony. What matters is how we choose to act when confronted with crimes and injustice.