Support for pro-Palestinian musician sacked by Swiss orchestra

Launch of a petition in support of the artist dismissed by the OSR Keystone-SDA

An open letter signed by a number of Geneva personalities and institutions has been launched in support of a musician who was dismissed by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR), the orchestra for French-speaking Switzerland, after wearing a keffiyeh at the end of a performance.

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Addressed to the OSR, the city and canton of Geneva, the petition had gathered more than 1,600 signatures by Monday.

Published online, the letter calls for the dismissal to be rescinded and for the OSR to apologise publicly, as the Tribune de Genève reported on Monday.

After appearing with a keffiyeh, a traditional Arab headdress, on her shoulders “in moral support of the civilian population of Gaza” at the end of a performance on November 8, a musician hired on an ad hoc basis by the OSR was dismissed with immediate effect, the petition explains.

Its authors point out that the OSR sent a letter to the audience, “the content of which leaves no doubt as to the reason for the dismissal”. The support group condemns “a difference of treatment in the recognition of suffering, weakening the credibility of the neutrality claimed”, in reference to the fact that the OSR had expressed its support for the Ukrainian population.

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“Sanctioning such a gesture confuses solidarity with ideology,” the petition states. It goes on to argue that “the apolitical nature of an institution should not imply the neutralisation of the personal convictions of those who work there”.

Among the first signatories are the director of the Théâtre du Loup, the co-directors of the International Human Rights Film Festival and the director of the Théâtre de Vidy. The petition also calls for the musician to be paid as stipulated in her contract. It says her dismissal would have deprived her of income from two upcoming performances. The petition also says that the public bodies responsible for funding the OSR condemn this decision.

When contacted by the Swiss News Agency Keystone-ATS, the OSR could not be reached late on Monday.

Translated from French by DeepL/ts

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