A letter to Athena

Published in Swedish in Svenka Dagbladet:

https://www.svd.se/a/RGLvzO/oppet-brev-ar-israeliska-forfattare-bannlysta-pa-kulturhuset

Athena Farrokhzad is responsible (together with Ida Linde) for the international literature stage at Stockholm's Kulturhuset stadsteatern, arguably one of Sweden's most important literary institutions.

David Stavrou is an Israeli/Swedish journalist based in Stockholm.

Hej Athena,

Since we don't know each other, I'll start by introducing myself and explaining why I'm writing to you publicly.

I'm a journalist who writes for "Haaretz", one of Israel's daily newspapers. Although I write about various issues worldwide, as an Israeli who's lived in Stockholm for many years, I'm particularly interested in Swedish politics, economy, society and culture. As you can imagine, these days "Haaretz” is highly focused on the terrible war in Gaza and its implications for Israel. As a foreign correspondent, rather than writing about the military and political issues of the war, I've concentrated on some of its European aspects – demonstrations, diplomacy, and its effects on local Jewish communities.

At some point, another issue caught my interest – the intense debate about the war in cultural circles. I decided to ask leading cultural figures about how the war has affected their work.  I wanted you to be my first interlocutor after I discovered that Kulturhuset had invited Palestinian writer Adiana Shibli for a discussion in March. I thought this was an interesting and exciting choice. Unlike others, I don't see any problem in hosting Shibli, but I was interested in the larger picture: how Kulturhuset is affected by the war that everybody's interested in (unlike, say, recent conflicts in Ethiopia, Sudan or Azerbaijan)? Are you planning to host writers from both sides of the conflict? Is your strategy to embrace the political debate or focus on more abstract themes? Do you have to deal with a lot of political pressure?

When I discovered that you yourself are very politically active, I became even more interested. After all, you're not only a writer, but also a public figure with a key role in Sweden’s literary world – and you work for a public institution. So, I sent an interview request to Kulturhuset's press department. I think you know what followed.

After a few friendly messages, it was made clear that "Athena declines to participate in an interview at this time". I then wrote to you privately. And then I wrote again. And again. Obviously, you don't have to answer me and I guess no one can make you talk to journalists. Still, you're a public figure paid from public funds and I think, modestly, that my questions are important. In the past I've been granted interviews by Swedish parliamentarians, government ministers, and leaders in all aspects of Swedish political, social and cultural life. Most were happy to grant interviews, and I found it strange that you're so unavailable. So I decided that if you don't want me to ask my questions privately, I'll ask them here. Publicly.

First, Kulturhuset's program for the next few months doesn't include any Israeli writers. That's fine of course. Only a handful of countries are represented in the programme. But I noticed that a few years ago you signed a petition proclaiming that "we must refrain from Israeli participation in cultural exchanges". Have you changed your mind – or does the same policy apply now that you’re a public official? Are Israeli writers banned from Kulturhuset from now on? Will Stockholmers who are interested in meeting writers like David Grossman or Dorit Rabinyan be unable to do so anymore?

Secondly: the fact that your salary is paid by Stockholmers of all shades of opinion, hasn't stopped you from making some very extreme statements. On Instagram you recently told your friends who "spread the voices of the Palestinian resistance" that you'll see them on the streets next year for the "Global Intifada 2024". I’m sure you know that although the word "intifada" has many meanings, in the current Palestinian context it means violent resistance. My question is: as Stockholmers of all shades of opinion, might we be meeting violent resistance next time we visit Kulturhuset.  Or is our safety guaranteed only if we belong to those who "spread Palestinian resistance"?

For the next couple of questions, let me add some background. Solidarity with civilian victims of war and a demand for humanitarian aid are integral elements of Swedish mainstream politics. And rightly so. But in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there is a particularly extreme political thesis that is popular in certain circles. This school of thought proclaims that the war isn't a violent clash between two national movements with legitimate claims to the same territory, but instead involves colonialist Israelis committing genocide against powerless indigenous Palestinians. Historically this discourse is obviously uninformed: it ignores inconvenient truths like the fact that Jews are indigenous in Israel since they've lived in the region for thousands of years (including in Gaza where a synagogue predated the Viking period by hundreds of years), the fact that the Palestinian National movement has violent genocidal fractions (like Hamas) and the fact that the Arab world is at least as responsible for the Palestinian tragedy as Israel. Still, in a democracy it is legitimate to be ignorant.

But my third question isn't about ignorance, it's about what public servants are allowed to do and say. Athena, on social media you invite us to demonstrations against genocide which ignore the genocidal Hamas attack on October 7 and advocate destroying Israel by violent resistance (I know: I was there). You've also recently signed political demands addressed to various writers' associations (PEN, the Journalists association and the Writers Union) requesting stronger pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli action. One can't help but wonder – are you using your status as a public appointee to promote agendas which some of those who pay your salary may strongly oppose? Is it reasonable for someone who sets an agenda to publicly express extreme ideas which many regard as not only mistaken, but also deeply offensive? These opinions may be appropriate for radical students living in a commune and publishing syndicalist poetry online magazines with 14 subscribers – but you're part of a municipal apparatus, responsible for the careers of many people. But you have a rather middle-class job which is meant to supply services to Swedish lovers of literature. If you want to be a militant freedom fighter, perhaps you should consider a career change? And if you don't, if you stand behind your opinions, why won't you talk to journalists about them?

The latest demonstration you publicly embraced occurred on International Holocaust Memorial Day. You shared a picture stating "Never Again for Anyone".  If the Palestinian flags and the dates shown (1941, 1948, 1967) weren't enough to clarify that you're comparing the current conflict to the Holocaust, your byline couldn't be clearer: "All of Sweden for Palestine in Stockholm on Saturday. Come, spread".

Again, one could argue about the absurdity of this comparison. How many Jews fired rockets at German civilians? How many Jewish militants raped German girls? And how many Jewish suicide bombers blew up German buses? I could ask about the Palestinian leader Haj Amin Al Hussaini, Hitler’s ally and supporter of the "Final solution". I could engage in this debate, but what's the point? You decline to grant an interview at this time.

But it's not only about words. Words lead to action. After the demonstration you promoted, a group of people, ("presumably from the demonstration" according to the police), arranged a “spontaneous demonstration” outside the synagogue where a memorial service was being held for the victims of the Holocaust. The demonstrators filmed the participants, including Holocaust survivors, and chanted slogans like "child killer" and "intifada". Is this also legitimate criticism of Israel, Athena? At the synagogue? On Holocaust Remembrance Day? Are you serious?

According to the working definition of the international Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, contemporary examples of antisemitism include "drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis". You may object to this. In fact, I'm sure you do, and that's fine. But most western democracies – including your own government – disagree. Which means that Sweden's public institutions should be committed to this definition. So, I guess my last question is this: as someone who works for such an institution, are you committed? And more importantly, considering your involvement in antisemitic campaigns, am I still allowed in Kulturhuset? Or are Jews not welcome anymore?