An electronic ‘psy trance’ music festival, due to have started yesterday and continue through the weekend, has been cancelled at the 11th hour in Manhouce, in the northern tip of the central municipality of São Pedro do Sul (Viseu district).
The municipality has cited “the large quantity of combustible material that exists on the land” where the Anta Gathering was due to have taken place. But this will almost certainly not have been the whole reason.
Israeli media, for example, claims the festival “faced a well-funded and orchestrated BDS campaign built on lies and hatred” (BDS being the acronym for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign against Israel).
Reading between the lines, activists appear to have established that at least one of the Israeli ‘organisers’ (who may or may not have Portuguese nationality) is, or has been, a reservist in the IDF (Israeli Defence Force).
As activists stressed only three days ago over social media: “Psychedelic culture in Portugal cannot be a safe haven for people who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“We do not accept the free movement in Portugal of people who practice, support, relativise or normalise these crimes. They are not welcome!”
“We call for a complete boycott of this event, which aims to normalise and welcome criminals and apologists for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“We urge all those participating in this event, including Portuguese citizens and companies, to immediately end their association”.
The appeal appears to have worked. A number of artists cancelled even before the event was officially closed down.
In Israel, the Jerusalem Post says the Anta Gathering team is still “processing the shock”, stressing: “The entire campaign and accusations made by the BDS movement and its affiliates are filled with false information: We are not soldiers. None of the members of our production team has ever been in Gaza or taken part in the killing of human beings.”
“Many forces driven by hate and ignorance are trying to prevent this event from happening simply because of where we were born. We are here to make it clear: We are not our country, we are not our government – we are human beings who want to spread a message of connection, peace, and love.”
The result, however, of being cancelled has left the team very much out of pocket: “The organisers aim to refund everyone who requests it, but have added that they are facing severe financial challenges, as payments have already been made to suppliers, artists have had their flights booked, and they now have the responsibility of refunding tickets”, writes the Jerusalem Post. “They ask that if people are able, to consider not cancelling their tickets or choosing a partial refund. The Anta team is also launching a GoFundMe campaign.
“This is not the end (…) Anta is about love, freedom, and community, and no campaign of hate will ever destroy that. With your support, we will heal, rebuild, and dance together again.”
A subsequent message says the team is “working with authorities and partners to get all approvals and safety measures in place”, so that the event can be resheduled.
Zooming out a little, however, this ‘fuss’ seems to be par for the course as Israel’s continued war gnaws away at what used to be its traditional support bases.
Source material: Correio da Manhã/ Público/ Jerusalem Post/ ‘X’/ Facebook
