Jewish group in Germany slams decision to withdraw award from Churchill over support of Palestine

Berlin (QNN)- A Jewish group in Germany has criticised decision of the jury of the 2022 European Drama Prize after it withdrew a Lifetime Achievement Award from renowned British playwright Caryl Churchill over her support for Palestinian rights.

Churchill, 84, is one of the UK’s most influential and significant contemporary dramatists. She has written more than 30 plays, many dealing with abuse of power.

In April, she was named the recipient of the 2022 European Drama award in recognition of her life’s work. The prize – worth €75,000 (£65,000), the biggest in Europe – is given by Schauspiel Stuttgart and sponsored by the Baden-Württemberg ministry of science, research and arts.

But earlier this month, the jury appointed by the theatre company retracted its decision and cancelled this year’s award.

In a statement, the jury said Churchill had been chosen for the award “in recognition of her life’s work. However, we have meanwhile become aware of the author’s signatures in support of boycott, divestment and sanctions [BDS].”

Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East said in a statement on Thursday, “As Jews living in Germany, we are outraged by this systematic use of antisemitism accusations to silence artists and intellectuals who stand for human rights for all.”

The group added, “Censorship and smear campaigns, such as the one currently directed against Caryl Churchill, are unfortunately common in Germany today.”

“Artists, intellectuals, journalists, cultural institutions who refuse to participate in the silencing and exclusion of Palestinian people, are easily harassed by authorities, threatened with loss of funding, vilified in the media.”

The group said, “German state institutions fail to seriously address anti-semitism and all forms of racism in our society. Instead, every challenge to Israeli human rights violations can be cast as ‘anti-semitic’. This is a very effective weapon in Germany, because the fear to be perceived as anti-semitic is so great, and this fear is manipulated to actually persecute human rights defenders, including Jews.”

“The reality is that when you stand for human rights, equality and justice in Germany, it can come with a price, as Caryl Churchill and so many others are experiencing.”

The German organization, which is a sister organization of the US Jewish Voice for Peace and part of the coalition European Jews for a Just Peace (EJJP), also expressed its “solidarity with Caryl and remain committed to universal values of human rights and equality, which for many of us are also rooted in Jewish tradition and identity.”

More than 170 British actors, writers and producers have accused the jury of “modern-day McCarthyism” in an open letter published on Thursday and organized by Artists for Palestine. The signatories criticised the cancellation of the prestigious lifetime award to the Churchill because of her support for Palestinian rights and the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, accusing the institutions in Germany of “deep-seated anti-Palestinian racism.”

In response to the cancellation of the award, Churchill said, “I stand by my support for BDS and Palestinians.”