Saturday, September 09, 2006

Fringe Festival criticised over Israeli sponsorship

The Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor Aodhan O Riordain has criticised the organisers of the Dublin Fringe Festival for accepting sponsorship from the Israeli embassy. The festival begins today.

‘The recent crisis in the Middle East and the military aggression of the Israeli government in Palestine and Lebanon has outraged many Dubliners. In the wake of these events I consider it extremely inappropriate for the Dublin Fringe Festival to be accepting sponsorship from the Israeli embassy in Dublin.’

‘I have received numerous calls form ordinary members of the public and from members of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign who are deeply concerned about this situation.’

The civilian deaths of Lebanese and Palestinian children should not be easily forgotten – it is a shame that the organisers of the Fringe Festival appear to have done so.