Leading arts figures back Israel row musicians

Leading figures from the arts have condemned the London Philharmonic Orchestra for suspending four members who objected to the presence of Israeli musicians at the BBC Proms.

Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, the film directors, Michael Attenborough, the theatre director, and Dame Harriet Walter, the actress, are among the 117 signatories to a letter of protest over the "harsh" punishment.

They say that artists should be able to express themselves "without fear of financial or professional retribution".

The four musicians - Tom Eisner, Nancy Elan and Sarah Streatfeild, all violinists, and Sue Sutherley, a cellist - called for the cancellation of a Proms concert on Sept 1 by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

They added their names and London Philharmonic Orchestra affiliation to a letter published on Aug 30 which stated that "Israel's policy toward the Palestinians fits the UN definition of apartheid".

The orchestra suspended the musicians for up to nine months, and said "the orchestra would never restrict the right of its players to express themselves freely [but] such expression has to be independent of the LPO itself".

In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, Leigh and his fellow signatories said they were "shocked" and "dismayed".

"One does not have to share the musicians' support for the campaign for boycotting Israeli institutions to feel a grave concern about the bigger issue at stake for artist and others," it reads.

"There is a clear link being forcibly created here between personal conscience and employment, which we must all resist. A healthy civil society is founded on the ability of all to express non-violent and non-prejudiced opinions, freely and openly, without fear of financial or professional retribution.

"The LPO management state that for them, 'music and politics don't mix' - yet their decision to jeopardise the livelihoods of four talented musicians for expressing their sincerely held views is itself political.

"Why should it be so dangerous for artists to speak out on the issue of Israel/Palestine? We are dismayed at the precedent set by this harsh punishment, and we strongly urge the LPO to reconsider its decision." Eisner and Elan are Jewish and have played to raise funds for the Palestinian cause, including at a recent event called Songs for Gaza.

Timothy Walker, the chief executive of the LPO, said that members were entitled to hold political views but were not allowed to link them to the orchestra.

"If they had signed their names without affiliation it would not have been an issue," he said, adding that all four musicians would be welcome back after their suspensions.

The orchestra is owned by the musicians and the suspension was decided by them, rather than by management.

"They found it abhorrent that one group of musicians would try to stop another group of musicians playing a concert," Mr Walker said.

The concert went ahead at the Royal Albert Hall but was disrupted by up to 30 protesters, forcing the BBC to suspend its live Radio 3 broadcast. None of the London Philharmonic musicians took part in the demonstration.