E1, the nightclub based in London, has announced that its founder has resigned after discovering that he had travelled to Gaza to fight for the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). Ravers for Palestine shared a screenshot of a Facebook post that had been deleted which shows Yuval Hen, the nightclub founder, wearing IDF uniform, with a caption implying he was back in Israel after a spell of fighting in Palestine.
E1 has since issued a statement regarding the founder’s departure, claiming that the club is “a place for music and dancing” without any political affiliations. They also acknowledged that the former owner stepped down in October last year in light of ongoing conflicts between Israel and Palestine.
Ravers for Palestine has subsequently issued a call to boycott E1 until further notice, stating that there should be no ramifications from actions that support colonialism, particularly from those in positions of ownership and power such as Hen. This comes amid soaring figures of deaths in Gaza, with over 28,700 Palestinians and 1,410 Israelis killed as per the latest count. Hamas also holds over 100 Israeli hostages following the attacks last October.
Yesterday, thousands of supporters marched in London to demonstrate their support for Palestine, with many entertainers adding their voices to the cause. Last night, the punk rock band Idles showed support for Palestine at the launch of their new album ‘Tangk’ at the Brixton Electric concert venue. During their set, the band’s frontman Joe Talbot altered the lyrics to their song ‘The Wheel’ to include the line “Viva Palestina”. He also dedicated the song ‘Danny Nedelko’ to Palestine stating that his “blood brother” is Palestinian.
The Israel-Gaza crisis has been ongoing, with Israel selecting an entry for the Eurovision song contest earlier this month even as calls for the event to ban Israel grew louder
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