Protest Against Israeli Dance Group, Batsheva, at UCB

Photos: Leon Kunstenaar

(Berkeley, Feb. 23) - UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall has hosted Israel's Batsheva Dance company.

The Batcheva Dance Company is a participant in BrandIsrael, an explicit, publicly stated campaign by the Israeli government to improve their image abroad. Internationally-facing arts funded by the Israeli state carries contractual obligations to represent the state and its policies positively.

Their funding includes the Israel ministry of foreign affairs, the Israel ministry of Culture and Sport Tel Aviv Global.

The University's "Cal Performances" appeared as a booster of Israeli propaganda. The normally open adjoining parking lot was closed to all but those attending the performance. Police, both municipal and campus were armed for riot and were there in numbers sufficient to suppress a medium sized insurrection.

Following up on the previous night's protest, about fifty activists, many of them dancers themselves, sat down next to the heavily fenced in entrance to the hall. They held a teach-in about the politicization of the arts, particularly of dance.

About five counter-protesters were there to give the message that equated opposition to Zionism as antisemitism. One man, draped in intertwined Israeli and US flags, declared that the demonstrators were paid by Hamas. With both sides using bull horns, there were some frank exchange of views, however, no violence.

After the teach-in, the activists, with banners and signs, assembled as close to the fenced off entrance as they could get and shouted slogans to those going to the performance. One man had a sign saying "you can't dance genocide away."

See all high resolution photos here.