LONDON (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra will play as planned at the BBC Proms, one of the leading classical music festivals in the world, despite the best efforts of a group of anti-Israel activists who had sought to block the performance.
According to the Jerusalem Post, a coalition of activists have been pressuring organizers to cancel IPO's performance, claiming that the are a a "pillar of the Israeli state system and of its cultural propaganda campaign" and "complicit in whitewashing Israel’s persistent violations of international law and human rights."
The campaign against the IPO was led by London School of Economics Prof. Jonathan Rosenhead, chairman of British Committee for Universities for Palestine, a group that has been advocating for a general boycott of Israel.
Organizers for the BBC Proms rejected the calls for a boycott, saying that IPO's invitation was not political and based entirely on their talent as artists. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers