The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has returned a contribution from the Israeli Embassy, after a 3-day campaign by the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) and Ken Loach. the SPSC threatened to disrupt the festival’s events unless the money was returned, and Ken Loach called for the EIFF to be boycotted.

The money in question was only about £300. It was given by the Israeli Embassy to subsidise the visit of Tali Shalom Ezer, a film student, to answer questions after the screening of her short film “Surrogate”. It’s now not clear whether Ms Ezer will be able to attend at all.

EIFF spokeswoman Emma McCorkell said:

“we consider the opinions of the film industry as a whole and, as such, accept that one film-maker’s recent statement speaks on behalf of the film community, therefore we will be returning the funding issued by the Israeli embassy.”

Ken Loach is doubtless an influencial figure, but does he really speak on behalf of ‘the film community‘, a diverse group of directors, actors, writers and production companies spread throughout the world? For example, presumably he doesn’t speak on behalf of Ginnie Atkinson, who said a few days earlier that declining the Embassy’s contribution

“would set a dangerous precedent by politicising a cultural and artistic mission”.

Ms Atkinson is certainly a member of ‘the film community‘, as she is the Director of the EIFF. It’s a shame that she didn’t stand by her comment.

The EIFF has other national sponsors, but they have not returned the money from the US Consulate over the invasion of Iraq, and they haven’t returned Poland’s cash over their increasing discrimination against gay people. So far, only Israel has been targeted in this way. It is another example where the bully-boy boycotters have intimidated a British institution through threats and blackmail.

The EIFF should apologise to the Israeli embassy for caving into this pressure, and pay for Tali Shalom Ezer to come over themselves.

(Also, see Alex Massie in the Spectator, who points out how ridiculous Loach’s position is.)