The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE) has strongly condemned the cancellation of Argentine Jewish writer Ariana Harwicz’s participation in the CulturAlh International Festival of Art, Literature and Humanities in Granada.
According to reports published by several media outlets, Harwicz’s participation was cancelled following a request from groups supporting the Palestinian cause. The FCJE called on the institutions responsible for the decision to publicly explain the circumstances and criteria that led to her exclusion.
The organisation also expressed concern over the lack of public statements from several major cultural institutions associated with the festival, including Granada City Council, the Tres Culturas Foundation, the Cervantes Institute and Acción Cultural Española (AC/E). Given their institutional and cultural significance, the FCJE said their silence was particularly concerning in relation to an incident it considers to affect freedom of expression and cultural pluralism.
The FCJE stressed that Harwicz is an internationally recognised writer and argued that her identity as an Argentine Jewish woman, as well as her political views, should not be grounds for excluding her from a cultural space connected to public institutions, including the University of Granada.
