Anti-Israel Activists Protest Outside US, Israeli Pavilions at Venice Biennale, Accuse Jewish State of Genocide

Anti-Israel protesters who gathered in front of the American and Israeli pavilions at the 60th Venice Biennale on Wednesday condemned US support for Israel and accused the Jewish state of committing genocide during its ongoing war against Hamas terrorists controlling the Gaza Strip.

At least 100 protesters held Palestinian flags and chanted, in both English and Italian, “shame on you” as well as “Biden, Biden, you can’t hide; we charge you with genocide” because of America’s military aid to Israel. The demonstrators also distributed red leaflets that read “No Death in Venice. No to the Genocide Pavilion” and further chanted “shut it down,” calling for the permanent closure of the Israeli pavilion at this year’s international art fair.

The protest in front of the American and Israeli pavilions, which are located next to each other in the Giardini Della Biennale, took place on the second day of previews for the Venice Biennale, which opens to the general public on Saturday. The group also protested outside the French, British, and German pavilions, denouncing each country’s relations with Israel. They chanted “Viva, viva Palestina!” “Palestine will live forever,” and “One solution: intifada revolution. Zionism is a crime, get your hands off Palestine. Yala yala, intifada.”

The protests were organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA), the international group of artists and activists who also penned an open letter in February that called on the Venice Biennale to ban Israel from this year’s event.

“We said NO to the presence of a genocidal apartheid state on the world cultural stage of the Biennale. We said NO to genocide complicit states USA, UK, Germany, and France,” ANGA said about the protest that took place on Wednesday. “We call for a total boycott of the Genocide Pavilion and demand to SHUT IT DOWN in its entirety. We said NO window display when Israel is perpetrating genocide in Gaza. ANGA demands an end to the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and an end to the apartheid and occupation of Palestine.”

Israel launched its military campaign targeting Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in southern Israel, during which about 1,200 people were murdered and hundreds of others were taken as hostages. More than 100 hostages remain in Gaza.

The artist and curators responsible for the Israel pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale announced this week their decision to keep the Israeli exhibit closed until a ceasefire and hostage deal is agreed upon.