Natalie Howarth
The Peace & Justice Project launched by Jeremy Corbyn in 2021 recently wrote an open letter titled ‘Music For A Ceasefire’, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the bombardment in Palestine following the death of over 11,000 innocent people. Fontaines D.C., The Libertines, shame, Georgia Ellery, IDLES, The Last Dinner Party and Sam Fender are just a few of the hundreds of bands and musicians to have signed this open letter issued by the Peace & Justice Project.
With worldwide protests and demonstrations calling for a ceasefire from Israel and major governmental leaders’ hesitancy and incompetence in taking action, Corbyn first initiated #MusicForACeasefire earlier this week on the 9th November. The letter asks for an immediate ceasefire, followed by: “The United Nations secretary general António Guterres has said Gaza is becoming “a graveyard for children”, and whilst the devastation continues, the UK and US governments fail to stand up for humanity, condemn the collective punishment of the Palestinian people and advocate for peace instead of bloodshed.”
The letter is concluded by an assertion of who is signing the letter: “We are a diverse coalition of artists, musicians and performers calling for an end to the siege of Gaza, immediate humanitarian aid for the many frightened, starving and wounded civilians trapped amongst the rubble, and meaningful diplomatic intervention from our political leaders to facilitate the release of hostages, an end to the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine and for lasting peace in the region.”
Music as a medium is powerful and has a universal language
The genocide occurring in Gaza is something we should all be conscious of and hold accountability for those who remain complicit and neutral, especially MPs and those in positions of power. Music as a medium is powerful and has a universal language; with consideration of all the fame and influence that comes with success of a band or artist, it is so important that bands and musicians utilise their platforms to call for de-escalation, ceasefire and spreading awareness of what is happening in Gaza. Anyone with a platform and outreach should make a conscious effort to educate and inform their fans.
Back in 2021, there was the #MusiciansforPalestine open letter signed by over 600 musicians
The genocide has been happening for over 75 years now, it is ongoing and will not stop unless we call for a ceasefire. American rapper Redveil called for a ceasefire in his set supporting Tyler, The Creator, leading the crowd in a chant of ‘Free Palestine’ very recently which has led to a lot of media discussion and the video’s busy circulation. Back in 2021, there was the #MusiciansforPalestine open letter signed by over 600 musicians including The Strokes’s Julian Casablancas, Cypress Hill, Patti Smith and Questlove to boycott performing shows in Israel and express solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The boycotting of performing shows in apartheid Israel enacts international solidarity and promotes the bands and artists’ consciousness of decades of ethnic cleansing and unrelenting violence that has occurred and is ongoing in Gaza. The Peace & Justice Project continues to advertise bands and musicians to sign the open letter to claim solidarity with Palestine: click here to find the letter and the list of artists who have signed the letter.
Natalie Howarth
Featured image courtesy of Scott Graham via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes made to this image.
In-article image courtesy of @peaceandjusticeproject via instagram.com. No changes made to these images.
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