Press Release here | Letter in Czech here | Czech Press Release here
To:
Mr Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner responsible for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport
European Commission’s European Capitals of Culture (ECOC)
The Monitoring and Advisory Panel for the European Capital of Culture
Cc:
Mr Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament
Mr Donald Tusk, President of the European Council (EU’s Council of Ministers)
Mr Xavier Prats Monné, Director-General of DG Education and Culture, European Commission: Culture
Prague, 19 May 2015
Case: The European Capital of Culture helps legitimise illegal annexation of Jerusalem
Dear Commissioner, Dear Sir/Madame,
We are writing to bring to your attention that the label European Capital of Culture is being used to help legitimise claims deemed illegal by the international community.
As part of the official programme, the European Capital of Culture Pilsen 2015 has scheduled an event called the “Days of Jerusalem”. Through ostensibly apolitical means, the event is part of a political strategy to secure legitimation of annexation of Jerusalem by the State of Israel. The Days of Jerusalem is a government sponsored festival directed at international audiences, which claims to present “the reality of the city”. In fact, this event whitewashes Israeli policies of forced transfer, colonialism and apartheid in occupied East Jerusalem.
