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MR C STARTS BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL

Other DJs condemn Israeli government's brutal bombardment of Gaza

Mr C has declared that he is now boycotting Israel, due to the persistent shelling of Gaza by Israeli government forces. Over the weekend, Israel struck a school in Gaza for the third time — over 400 Palestinian children have now been killed in the conflict.

“I boycotted Israel for many years, until about four or five years ago,” Mr C said. “I've since been back a good few times and had so much fun there, meeting lovely people, great artists and DJs and making wonderful friends. Sadly, my boycott is now back on until further notice. I can no longer sit by and not do my bit in silence.”

“I will still be supporting artists from Israel, but that is all,” Mr C continued on Facebook. “The indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians is making me sick to my stomach and has to stop. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.”

Mr C says that he won't be playing any DJ gigs in Israel until further notice. A cultural boycott was a tactic used by artists campaigning against Apartheid in South Africa in the 1980s, when racial discrimination was enshrined in law.

Other DJs have also been speaking out against the Israeli government's actions. Marc Roberts from Snowbombing has also called for a boycott, and DJs like John Stapleton, DJ Pathaan, Tim Sheridan and drum & bass don Jumpin Jack Frost have all condemned the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians. The debate, however, isn't totally straightforward.

“I was thinking about this the other day,” said Dom B from the Stanton Warriors. “But what about playing in Russia or China? America just re-supplied Israel today with more tank shells etc — where do you draw the line?”

One DJ agent told DJ Mag: “Plenty of DJs already do boycott Israel, they just don't publicise it.”

Clubs in Tel Aviv like The Block, The Cat & The Dog, Haoman 17, Comfort 13 regularly host international DJs — there's little doubt that the cultural exchange serves both parties well, and that many Israeli DJs, promoters and clubbers are opposed to their government's brutal action. For Mr C though, a cultural boycott is the best way for the international community to have an affect on Israel.

“There will never be peace while both sides are being run by a bunch of crazy people,” the former Shamen man said. “I'd also like to add that I'm also boycotting Palestine, as Hamas suck too. They all need their heads bashed together.

“The only way to end this conflict is for Israel and the rest of the world to recognise Palestine as its own sovereign state, and for Palestine to accept that Israel will not back down and leave the land that was once theirs. Israel has to stop making new settlements in the West Bank, and allow the Palestinians the freedom and dignity to be the proud people that they once were.”

What do you think? Should international DJs boycott playing in Israel while hundreds of Palestinians are being killed or maimed by the Israel Defence Force?