Israel Legalโข Group Warns Studios of Potential โขLawsuits over film Worker boycott
LOS ANGELES – Anโ Israel legal advocacy group has โwarned netflix, Disney, Amazon Studios, Apple, Warner Bros. Discovery, theโ BBC, Film4, and โthe British Film Institute that participating in a boycott organized by Film workers for Palestine could expose them toโค meaningful legal โฃand financial risks. Theโค warning centers on potential breaches of the U.K.’s Equality Act and related implications for insurance coverage and funding access.
The letter, sent Monday, argues that adherence to the boycott – which calls for companies to cease work with Israeli entities – couldโฃ be construed as discrimination โunder the Equality Act, possibly opening studios up toโฃ litigation.It also raises concerns that the boycottโ could jeopardize compliance with financial regulations, impacting access to funding and insurance. This dispute โขarrivesโ as pressure mounts within the entertainment industry for a ceasefire in Gaza and anโข end toโ the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Film Workers for Palestine launched โฃits call for a boycott in November 2023, initially โgarnering 1,200 signatures which quickly grew to over 5,000. Prominent signatories includeโค Joaquin phoenix, Olivia Colman, Peter Sarsgaard, โGael Garcรญa bernal, Riz Ahmed, Cynthiaโ Nixon, Tilda Swinton, Andrew Garfield and Javier Bardem. The group’s website, workersforpalestine.org/#endingcomplicity, detailsโค its aims to end what it describes as complicity with the Israeli government.
According to theโ legal letter, as reported by Variety, if U.K. television and film organizations “collude with actsโ contrary to [the Equality Act], organizations are themselves likely to be in breach.” The letter further contends that the boycott establishes a โ”risky precedent: oneโข thatโ condones the exclusion of individuals and organizations based solely on their nationality,ethnicity or religion.”
The advocacy group’s warning specifically cites potential โissues with insurance policies being voided and accessโ to funding being illegally barred, as financial institutions areโ required to โmaintain compliance with equality and non-discrimination standards. Theโข studios have not yet publicly responded โto โขthe โฃlegal concerns raised.
