Disney films are at risk of disappearing from the screens of a Glasgow cinema after staff demanded that it cuts ties with all companies linked to Israel.
Workers at the Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT), 85 per cent of whom are represented by Unite Hospitality, are asking the theatre to align with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which calls for the boycotting of firms linked to the country.
In February, staff members refused to handle Coca-Cola at Glasgow Film Festival. The drinks company and Disney are among those listed by the BDS campaign.
The BDS website states: “Disney and its subsidiary Marvel are complicit in glorifying Israel’s regime of genocide and apartheid against Indigenous Palestinians.”
It also criticised the entertainment giant for its Captain America franchise, which is reviving the “racist character of Ruth Bat-Seraph, whose decades-old backstory includes working for Mossad”.
Disney was contacted for comment.
A Unite spokesman said: “Following their collective industrial decision to support BDS in solidarity with the people of Gaza, our members at the GFT are now in positive negotiations with senior management on how to make the Glasgow Film Theatre as ethical as possible.”
Glasgow Film Theatre said: “Glasgow Film’s board of trustees have started but not completed a review of the GFT Unite staff members’ requests to consider adopting BDS and Pacbi [Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, another boycott movement].
“The goal of the review is to ensure that any decisions made do not infringe our legal and charitable obligations and that all staff can have their voice heard.”
GFT added that there had been no agreement to stop stocking Coca-Cola, “only an agreement to source a future replacement in line with agreed GFT goals of stocking fair-trade, locally sourced or environmentally friendly products”.
An open letter in support of the Coca-Cola boycott and Unite’s campaign has been signed by almost 50 Jewish people from across the country, including members of Garnethill Synagogue, which is a five-minute walk from GFT.
• Philip Rodney: Why Glasgow Film Theatre’s Coca-Cola boycott sets a dangerous precedent
It reads: “Having seen recent reports in the press which claim that ‘Glasgow’s Jewish community’ is opposed to GFT’s decision to remove Coca-Cola, we write to offer a counterpoint to the mistaken view that the Jewish community speaks with one voice on this matter.
“While it is true that there are many Jewish people in Scotland who have a deeply felt connection to Israel, and unfortunately some who support the abhorrent actions of the Israeli state, there are also many of us who support the Palestinian cause and who oppose genocide.”
But Sue Siegel, the chairwoman of the Garnethill Synagogue, said that 50 people were not representative of the more than 2,000 Jewish people who live in Glasgow.
Siegel, 74, said: “For [GFT staff] to boycott anything that is related to Israel that is tending towards discrimination against Jewish people. If films by Disney are not shown, that impacts the whole Garnethill community, which relies on GFT for their artistic experiences.
“We all grieve that there’s a war going on and wish it could be settled peacefully, but I don’t understand how boycotting products we use every day will make any difference.”
Disney is no stranger to controversy linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Rachel Zegler, the actress who plays the eponymous hero in the new Snow White remake, prompted heated debate last August when she tweeted “Free Palestine”.
