Day 3: No Arms in the Arts Fest

We need each other so we can remind each other that genocide is never an accident. It is always deliberate.

We need each other so we can remind ourselves that the colonial project in Israel is funded by Canadian and US tax dollars and war machines, and that settler colonial solidarity is strong. What is learned by colonizers in Israel will be shared with colonizers in Canada and will harm us the next time we get in the way of a pipeline.

And so a blow to the snake here, is a blow to the snake in Palestine.

—Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Saturday, April 27, 7pm: 3 Promises

Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave

Poster pickup 6-7pm, hosted by Postering for Palestine. || 3 Promises (Yousef Srouji, 2023, 61 min, Palestine, Lebanon, United States) || In Arabic with English subtitles. || Pay What You Can || See program website for venue accessibility info.

Sunday, April 28, 6:30pm (followed by a festival social)

PANEL: Settler Colonialism and Extractive Capital | From Turtle Island To Palestine

CashOnlyBar, 516 Dundas St West

Molly Wickham, Sleydo' Gidimt'en Clan of the Wet'suwet'en Nation) and Rachel Small (World Beyond War) will join Maya Menezes in conversation.

Followed by a festival social with music from DJ Mounir + DJ ML6

OUTSPOKEN? OUTSTANDING? OUTRAGEOUS. 

Demand that Scotiabank dump Elbit Systems.

Scotiabank conducts a great deal of its influence laundering via the arts in Canada and is a major presenting sponsor of Hot Docs Festival. Via its Scotia Global Asset Management arm, Scotiabank also has a $500 million dollar investment in Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest military and arms company. This active support in the ongoing genocide of Palestinian people is absolutely unacceptable. Turning a blind eye to Scotiabank’s investment is no longer an option, and doing so makes Hot Docs complicit in artwashing. This is NOT a call to boycott or withdraw from the festival. This is a call to use the festival to AMPLIFY a specific and achievable demand: SCOTIABANK, DUMP ELBIT. There must be NO ARMS IN THE ARTS.

Scotiabank needs to know that it cannot bank on genocide. Hot Docs needs to use its significant influence to echo the demands of its community, and pressure Scotiabank to divest from Elbit. Cultural institutions have power to enact change, if they want it.

If you are attending Hot Docs:

• Speak out on stage, and during interviews. Keep the messaging clear and consistent: “Scotiabank has $500 Million invested in Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, Elbit Systems. Join me in demanding No Arms in the Arts, and that Scotiabank dump Elbit.”

• Ask questions at screenings: “This is a question for Hot Docs as an institution – are you concerned that your presenting sponsor, Scotiabank, is the largest foreign investor in Elbit System weapons manufacturer?”

• Chant “Scotia Banks on Genocide!” and boo when Scotiabank logos or ads appear before screenings

Check out the full 10-day NO ARMS IN THE ARTS Festival lineup!