The debates and protests sparked by Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip have spread seemingly around the world – even to the Nevada desert festival known as Burning Man.
Organizers of the festival, of which “radical self-expression” is one of its guiding principles, found themselves embroiled in controversy this week over the approval of a canopy-sized sculpture depicting a slice of watermelon titled “From the River to the Sea.”
The 8-by-14-foot sliced fruit – red pulp, green and white rind and black seeds – has the same colors as those of the Palestinian flag and has become a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
The sculpture was among dozens of art installations scheduled to be displayed just outside the festival’s central camp, but it was removed from the website when an online petition calling for its removal began circulating, according to the San Francisco Standard. Although the art installation is no longer listed on the website, it is unclear whether it will be on display at Burning Man, scheduled for August 25 to September 2.
A Burning Man spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
An archived version of the website includes an image and description of the sculpture. The artist has been identified only as “Decolonize Now.”
“The watermelon is a powerful symbol for Palestinians. In 1967, when Israel took control of the West Bank and Gaza and annexed East Jerusalem, the Israeli government made the public display of the Palestinian flag a criminal offense throughout the country,” reads the statement. description. “To circumvent the ban, Palestinians began using watermelon because, when opened, the fruit bears the national colors of the Palestinian flag – red, black, white and green. »
But at the heart of the controversy was the phrase “From the river to the sea”, according to the petition.
He argues that the phrase “has been condemned as anti-Semitic and recognized as a call for the destruction of Israel” and that the slogan “perpetuates the lie that Jews have no historical connection to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. However, historical records demonstrate that Jewish civilization has been present in the region for over 3,000 years. »
The festival is the latest in the heated debate over the war between Israel and Hamas, which began after the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas militants in which hundreds of Israelis were killed or taken hostage. United States designated Hamas as a terrorist organization in the 1990s.
However, the war has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, including many children, according to the UN. The death toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza have sparked anti-war protests across the United States, including at universities.
So far, the online petition to remove the watermelon sculpture has garnered just over 1,000 signatures, and it includes comments from the people who signed it.
“Burning Man should not allow the installation of a watermelon depicting political statements against another group,” one person wrote.
“It’s just crazy that this art was approved after what happened in the world after October 7th, it needs to be taken down ASAP,” wrote another.
California Daily Newspapers
