DJs Against Apartheid campaign receives over 500 signatures upon launch

Hundreds of DJs have added their signatures to a new campaign taking a stance against Israel’s 75-year occupation of Palestine.

Launched yesterday (Thursday, 22nd February), DJs Against Apartheid was founded with the help of the New York-based collective Palestine Forever. More than 500 artists have signed a statement shared by the campaign upon its launch, including the likes of Aurora Halal, Logic1000, CCL, Saliah, Conducta, AceMo, Nene H, LCY, DJ Voices, Mama Snake, DJ Haram, Sugar Free, Rrose, DJ Plead, Ciel and livwutang.

“We join in solidarity as artists and workers within this line of work and recognise that while our work is often celebratory and joyous, there can be no celebration or festivities during a genocide,” the statement shared by DJs Against Apartheid reads. “We understand the radical history and legacy of dance music and the power we and other cultural workers have in shaping public opinion, fighting for liberation, and resisting oppressive forces.

“The dance music scene has always been and must continue to be centred around imagining and creating a safer, fairer, and freer world for all people. It is due to this revolutionary and anti-oppressive origin and our commitment to continuing this legacy today, that we, as members of the nightlife community, have a unique responsibility to use our voice, our physical and digital spaces, and our artistic practices to protest apartheid and amplify the just cause of the Palestinian people and their resistance against occupation and oppression.”

You can read the full statement, as well as the list of signatories, here.

In October, hundreds of musicians and performers signed an open letter protesting Israel’s “brutal and ongoing attack on Gaza” via the Ravers For Palestine campaign.