PACBI & BDS Policy Statement
Today, we are announcing that Neurodivergent Plays is joining our fellow theatre organizations - including National Queer Theatre, Theatre of the Oppressed NYC, and many others - in committing our support to the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. (PACBI)
According to the United Nations, an estimated 21,000 children in Gaza have acquired a disability since the beginning of the Gaza genocide in October 2023, with approximately 83% of disabled people in Gaza having lost their assistive devices (wheelchairs, prosthetics), which are often excluded from aid shipments by Israeli authorities. Furthermore, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, autistic children living in the occupied West Bank are often subject to extreme neglect, with reports suggesting the Israeli government is blocking necessary medications from being delivered to Palestinian families with autistic children.
The BDS movement, including PACBI, rejects on principle boycotts of individuals based on their identity (such as citizenship, race, gender, sexuality, or religion) or opinion. Mere affiliation of Israeli cultural workers to an Israeli cultural institution is therefore not grounds for applying the boycott. If, however, an individual is representing the state of Israel or a complicit Israeli institution, or is commissioned/recruited to participate in Israel’s efforts to “rebrand” itself, then their activities are subject to the institutional boycott the BDS movement is calling for.
Throughout history, artists have always played a crucial role in not just fighting the horrors of fascism, but in the development and promotion of new ideas that can influence broader conversations about culture. In that spirit, we stand in solidarity with all artists seeking an end to war, genocide & apartheid in Palestine, and we urge all our fellow theatre organizations to take a stand on the right side of history.
Anthony J. Piccione
Founding Artistic Director of Neurodivergent Plays