Manchester arts venue reinstates Palestinian literary festival after protests and open letter

Following protests and an open letter signed by 300 artists, Manchester's Home arts venue reversed its decision to cancel the Voices of Resilience literary festival. The festival had been called off after the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester accused Palestinian Authority culture minister Atef Abu Saif of antisemitism and Holocaust denial. Festival organizers Comma Press pointed to Saif's repeated condemnations of Nazi atrocities and considered legal action against what they called libelous claims. A Home spokesperson told the Guardian the venue supports Palestinian and all community voices and acknowledged learning from how the situation was handled. This reversal comes amid numerous cancellations of Palestinian and Arab arts events globally since October 7, including two Palestinian film festivals at Bristol's Arnolfini gallery in November, an exhibition by Jewish South African artist Candice Breitz at Saarlandmuseum in Saarbrücken, Germany, and Palestinian artist Samia Halaby's retrospective at Indiana University's Eskenazi Museum of Art in January. Comma Press called the reinstatement a potential watershed moment in combating intimidation faced by arts venues showcasing Palestinian artists and urged other institutions to initiate fresh conversations with previously sidelined creators.