Palestine

U.K. Lawyers for Israel has sent a letter to Netflix, BBC and more studios that states the boycott of Israeli film companies, which has been backed by Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Olivia Colman and more, is a breach of the U.K.’s Equality Act.

“[The Equality Act 2010] is the key legislation in the U.K. protecting against racism and discriminatory treatment,” states the letter, which has been seen by Variety. “If the U.K. television and film industry colludes with acts contrary to this legislation, organizations are themselves likely to be in breach. It also creates a dangerous precedent: one that condones the exclusion of individuals and/or organizations based solely on their nationality, ethnicity, and/or religion.”

The letter also claims that the boycott’s attempt at “selective application — exempting some institutions based on the ethnicity or religion of their members — strongly indicates that [its] operation is based not only on nationality but also on religion and ethnicity.”