"Tell Israeli Apartheid to leave the Stage"

Habima is performing at the Globe Theatre as part of the Globe to Globe festival despite protests from over 30 actors, directors and playwrights, including the founding artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe Mark Rylance, and actors Emma Thompson and David Calder, who signed an open letter in March condemning the Globe for its invitation.

Habima has a history of performing for illegal settlements in the West Bank, and Palestinians living in the West Bank are prevented from attending due to Israel's policies of ethnic and religious segregation.

Three weeks ago the Ashtar theatre from Ramallah in the occupied Palestinian West Bank performed Richard II at the Globe to huge acclaim. Their artistic director Iman Aoun was strip-searched on leaving Tel Aviv Airport for London. She said "At night Israeli artists want to perform with us but in the morning they serve in the army, supporting the occupation and its apartheid regime."

Sarah Colborne, Director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said "We are asking people to boycott Habima in protest against their support of illegal settlements.

Being an artist does not remove your responsibility as a human being to stand up against oppression. And Habima have been complicit in supporting that oppression by performing in theatres built on land illegally occupied by Israel, and performances which exclude Palestinians from attending.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) is organising two protests outside the Globe Theatre on the evening of Monday 28th and Tuesday 29th May in support of the boycott of Israel's National Theatre Company, Habima.