7 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
War of words grows over pro-Palestine protest at arts centre
The Art Workers for Palestine Group has stepped up pressure for senior figures to be 'removed' amid claims that participants in a sit-in protest were 'kettled, brutalised and oppressed.'
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The CCA, which has been targeted over a refusal to publicly support a boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions, has expressed 'regret' over the impact of last week's protest.
However it has claimed it was forced to call in 'law enforcement' in response to a 'forced entry' of its building.
The CCA in Glasgow city centre has been running since 1992.
Social media posts by the campaign group on the morning of June 24 had urged supporters to 'mobilise' and 'enter the building' at 12 noon after the group was refused permission to stage a programme of their own events in a 'liberated zone.'
The CCA has claimed the group demanded that the venue agreed in advance that the police would not be called 'under any circumstances,' and was refused permission due to the venue's 'safeguarding responsibilities.'
The centre, which insisted the planned events would have 'breached' the venue's licensing and insurance obligations, said it had been advised to close the building by the police and security staff.
However the CCA has denied claims that it had 'colluded' with the police and 'pre-arranged' for officers to be in the area before the forced entry of the building.
Last month the CCA said that its board had been "unable to reach a consensus" over whether to endorse the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, despite calls from more than 800 supporters of an online petition.
At the time, the centre said it would be instigating a "transparent, values-based consultation with our staff and the broader CCA community to address the substantive issues."
The AWFPS group announced plans for five days of events at the CCA, saying: 'It is up to us to reclaim our arts institutions that are heading in an increasingly disturbing direction.'
On the morning of June 24, the group told supporters: 'We are shocked that the CCA are saying that they will not let art workers run our liberated zone programme or allow us to enter the building.
'We need as many people as possible to mobile at CCA at 12 noon to enter the building and reclaim the public courtyard so that the liberated zone can go ahead.'
A new statement issued by the CCA said: 'The CCA Board was unable to reach a consensus on publicly endorsing the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) at its last board meeting. This is due to the potential legal complexities and implications for a charity to do so.
'To fulfil its charitable aim, the organisation must remain independent politically. CCA is responsible for maintaining and supporting employment in the arts, including funding programmes of artist development, and must therefore always consider its financial and legal sustainability very carefully.
'The CCA does not hold any investment in companies, Israeli or international, that are involved in the violation of Palestinian rights. We also do not have any partnerships with Israeli academic or cultural institutions.
'We review commercial and programming decisions on a case-by-case basis and recognise the need to develop a formal ethical framework to guide these decisions in future.
'On June 23 Art Workers for Palestine Scotland (AW4PS) announced a week-long programme of events to take place in the CCA's courtyard space.
'AW4PS included in their notification that CCA would agree not to contact the police or security personnel under any circumstances, which in light of our safeguarding responsibilities and legal duties, we were not able to host.
'There was no agreement reached, and security, legal, and insurance concerns remained unresolved.
'AWFPS had not entered into an agreement with the CCA to ensure that contracting, safeguarding, risk assessment, and access considerations were in place for a five-day event, involving a wide range of participants, including children, which was announced with only 24 hours' notice.
'CCA would have been in breach of its legal obligations regarding licensing and insurance if we had allowed the event to go ahead.
'On the morning of June 24, the CCA was closed to the public, with access for staff, cultural tenants and contract hires only.
'AWFPS made a post on social media saying that they needed 'as many people to mobilise at CCA at 12 noon to enter the building and reclaim the public courtyard.'
'At noon, groups gathered outside both entrances. Only after a group entered the building, the police were called.
'We regret the impact on all those involved inside and outside of the building. We can confirm that CCA has not called for any charges that have been pressed, nor have we had further contact with police regarding this matter.'
The AWFPS group said it was 'deeply disturbed and appalled' at the CCA's latest statement, and stepped up its demand for the "removal" of interim director Steve Slater, chair Jean Cameron and board member Steve Slater.
It said: 'Rather than taking accountability for their actions, the CCA's leadership continues to misrepresent events, discredit organisers and align itself with a growing culture of state repression that seeks to delegitimise protest and Palestinian solidarity.
'Most importantly, the CCA fails to apologise to the many people that were kettled, brutalised and oppressed last Thursday.
'The CCA's invocation of 'safeguarding to justify their actions rings hollow when their immediate response was to call the police, a move that is inherently unsafe for many of the very communities they claim to support.
'Framing police involvement as care is not safeguarding, it is harm.
'We are not outsiders. We are arts workers, artists who have exhibited at the CCA, community members, and people who one imagined the CCA as a platform for sharing radical, thoughtful and collective practice.'
The CCA was opened in 1992 at the home of the former Third Eye Centre, which was founded in 1974.
Writers, artists and performers who have shown work or performed there include Allen Ginsberg, Whoopi Goldberg, John Byrne, Billy Connolly, Edwin Morgan, Kathy Acker, Damien Hirst, Sophie Calleite, Nathan Coley, Jacqueline Donachie, Louise Hopkins, Carol Rhodes, Richard Wright, David Shrigley and Ross Sinclair.
The venue has had a number of difficulties over the last decade, including being forced to close for several months due to the impact of the 2018 Glasgow School of Art fire, a long-running dispute over the pay and conditions of workers at its cafe-bar, and financial problems, which forced the venue to close temporarily in December.
The venue finally reopened in April after securing a new £3.4 million Scottish Government funding deal for the next three years.
