Macklemore lost his opening slot on Ed Sheeran’s tour after shouting “Free Palestine!” In less than a month, artists and cultural workers had pushed Palestine back into public conversation through protests, even as political leaders, particularly in the Global North, increasingly left it out of their remarks, EL PAÍS reported on October 3, 2026.
Actresses Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder were arrested in New York for urging the United States to stop funding Israel’s war while Benjamin Netanyahu attended the UN General Assembly. Directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor released their film NAZA online for free after the Israeli government branded them traitors and threatened to revoke their citizenship. The film won an award at the Venice Film Festival.
Who controls the cultural stage
At Madrid’s Festival of Ideas, more than 30 participants demanded that organizers drop Allianz as a sponsor because the company holds Israeli bonds. Political scientist Máriam Martínez-Bascuñán signed the letter that prompted the festival to withdraw its sponsorship. The Círculo de Bellas Artes, which organized the event with the City Council and Madrid regional government, faced a dispute over who gets to fund cultural events and on what terms.
Nerea Pérez de las Heras, author of Fantasma (Alfaguara, 2026), said more than 500 authors backed writers and students who supported rescinding an invitation to Argentine writer Ariana Harwicz at the Cultura Alh festival in Granada. Organizers withdrew the invitation over her denial of a genocide in Gaza; manifestos both for and against the decision kept circulating.
“We’re accused of being inconsistent to paralyze us with the excuse that 100% ethical work and consumption under capitalism is impossible when we point to a company like Allianz; obviously we’re all subject to survival pressures, but our level of commitment is constant,” Pérez de las Heras said. Writer Dahlia de la Cerda said the literary industry includes publishers, publications, distributors and bookstores. “It’s the whole circuit that determines who circulates, who has visibility, and who gains access to opportunities.”
Those taking part in the initiatives sought attention for more than 70,000 Palestinians killed by the Israeli army since 2023, a figure Israeli commanders have acknowledged. The UN described the offensive as genocidal. Itziar Ruiz-Giménez Arrieta, professor of international relations at the Autonomous University of Madrid, said culture and politics “are not compartmentalized spaces.” Cultural products, she added, shape the narratives people use to understand society.
Boycott, expression and pressure
Luis Salazar, spokesperson for the cultural area of the Solidarity Network Against the Occupation of Palestine (Rescop), part of Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS), said debate within the boycott movement had lasted more than two decades. “These movements aren’t spontaneous or random; there’s coordination with working groups across Europe,” he said. Salazar cited a letter in which 50 Israeli documentary filmmakers backed boycotts of their country’s institutions.
The dispute over Harwicz’s participation also drew opposing public statements. “Organizing a peaceful boycott isn’t censoring. Criticizing isn’t censoring, protesting isn’t censoring,” said signatories Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Cristina Rivera Garza, Camila Sosa Villada, Alejandro Zambra, Pilar Quintana, Nona Fernández, Andrea Abreu, Alana S. Portero and Marta Sanz. Piedad Bonnett, Maria Negroni, Margo Glantz, Ana María Shua, Valeria Correa Fiz, Karina Sainz Borgo, Fernando Savater, Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo and Manuel Valls countered: “Defending freedom of expression only for those who think like us is not defending it: it replaces the free confrontation of ideas with ideological selection.”
Mariano de Paco, culture councilor for conservative regional premier Isabel Díaz Ayuso, condemned what he called “ideological interference” in artistic activities and funding, pointing to both Harwicz and Allianz. Ayuso invited Harwicz to take part in any forum in Madrid she wished. Valerio Rocco, director of the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, said cultural projects and institutions were fragile when attacks, accusations, withdrawn support and pressure came their way.
Different rules for different states
The Israeli dance company Batsheva planned to perform Sadeh21 at Madrid’s Teatros del Canal from October 15 to October 17, 2026. According to its own accounts, Netanyahu’s government funds the company, which has become a national emblem. “The [Madrid regional government] uses it to whitewash the genocide,” choreographer and dancer Nacho Duato said. “If they end up dancing, then let them dance, but this needs to be discussed.”
Russia left Eurovision in 2022 after invading Ukraine, in accordance with the competition’s statutes. The European Broadcasting Union didn’t take the same action against Israel, prompting Spain and Ireland to withdraw from the contest. Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE didn’t show the 2026 Eurovision song contest; instead, it published a message calling for peace and justice for Palestine.
Ruiz-Giménez Arrieta said pressure from cultural, social and university groups mattered. She also called on governments expressing sympathy for Palestine to reduce repression worldwide so refugee and exile reception programs could exist. The arguments have reached festivals, stages and broadcasters. The dispute over who gets a platform—and who pays for it—remains in public view.