Jerusalem Quartet concert in London interrupted by protest
Independent newspaper reports BBC live broadcast of Israeli quartet stopped after woman stands up voicing protest against Israeli policy, prompting response from musicians
BBC3's live recording of the concert was broken off while the quartet members stopped playing and commenced a debate with the woman.
The Jerusalem Quartet (Photo: Leon Sokolsky)
Bloggers who attended the event reported that 10 minutes into the performance a woman stood up in the audience and began shouting "Jerusalem is occupied." It was also reported that she condemned Israel as an "apartheid state" and commented on the Gaza offensive and the "use of phosphorus" during the war.
According to the Independent, the Quartet members pointed out that only one of their four was a native Israeli, with one living in Portugal and another in Berlin. All four did serve in the army, but as musicians and not in combat roles.
They further noted that two of them were regular performers with Daniel Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which brings Arab and Israeli musicians together for classical concerts.
The incident was not the first time in which a Quartet concert became a platform for political protest. During a concert in Edinburgh two years ago five members of the "Scottish-Palestine Solidarity Campaign" interrupted the classical performance.
