Protean Magazine is an explicitly leftist non-profit operation. But what does “explicitly leftist” mean? It means a commitment to the abolition of capitalism, to the abolition of racism and sexism and transphobia and all other bigotries and injustices that stain our decaying social fabric. It also means a forceful opposition to imperialism and colonialism, and an equally forceful commitment to internationalism and solidarity with all those around the world fighting for a better future.
Consequently, in remaining faithful to our organizational principles, we find it necessary and proper to express our explicit solidarity with the cause of Palestinian liberation—without reservation, without apology.
The situation in Palestine serves as a nexus for so many of our present crises—the climate crisis, the globally burgeoning tide of reaction, the various refugee crises and their attendant violent border regimes, the lingering poison of state-enforced poverty—and as such, it is a vision of where much of the world is headed. Unless, that is, we resist.
Palestinian resistance, then, is not only a just cause in itself—the hope of the millions of Palestinians who have lived under brutal occupation or exile for 75 years—but also the hope of the world, the front line in the battle against fascism.
Therefore, we are proud to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for liberation and to commit to the call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS)—specifically, the guidelines regarding the Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).
As both a collective, and as individual writers and editors, we commit to:
- The promotion of Palestinian writers and scholars without equivocation
- The promotion of international condemnation of the apartheid regime and Israeli state policy
- The promotion of the international BDS movement
- The boycott of all events funded by or in collaboration with Israeli state institutions
- The refusal to publish or review works funded by or made in collaboration with Israeli state institutions
- A refusal to collaborate with or receive funding from any Israeli state institution
Fascist states like Israel use cultural production to provide cover for their crimes, and we will not, under any circumstances, facilitate that process. This is not a boycott of individuals based on identity or nationality, but a boycott of a genocidal regime with which we as leftists and, more basically, as people of conscience, cannot associate ourselves.
Signed,
The Protean Collective ♦
