Thursday’s demonstration was organised by the global BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement. The group say they sent a letter to Ruperto Merino, the director of Teatros del Canal, weeks ago opposing Batsheva’s performance.
The boycott “is not directed at any particular artist but at the company as an institution used by the Israeli government as a diplomatic strategy and to whitewash the genocide it is committing in Gaza,” a spokesman for the group said.
Mr Merino, who reports directly to Spain’s Department of Culture, flatly rejected calls for the show’s cancellation and insisted the theatre’s performers will be based on professional decisions, not political.
A Batsheva spokesman told Spanish outlet El Pais the company is not political but has called for a ceasefire and an “end to the bloodshed in Gaza” following the devastating October 7 attacks.
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