We’ve received a lot of messages from folks since our staff team endorsed PACBI (the Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel) in March of 2025. We’ve received messages of support, as well as some concern, hurt, and confusion. We’ll be real, we’ve also received some anger. We’ve had a lot of generative conversations over the past couple months, and we’d like to offer some clarification about what our endorsement of this boycott means as an action that we are taking. We’ve put together an FAQ to make clear what we are and are not boycotting by endorsing PACBI.
It feels especially urgent, given the rise of antisemitic violence we are seeing, to make totally clear that this is not a boycott of Jews or Israeli citizens or their stories; this boycott does not target individuals, it targets funding sources aligned with the state of Israel and complicit in the colonial occupation of Palestinian territory. PACBI is non-violent and anti-colonial at its core.
We are horrified by the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We are also deeply disturbed by the rise of antisemitic violence globally. As a company and a queer space, we stand against any kind of hate. The scale of violence and suffering we are seeing daily is indescribable. We recognize that there is a lot of fear for Arab and Jewish people around the world, and even here in Toronto, as a result of prejudices fuelled by imperialism and state-sponsored hate.
Responding to this moment is messy, beyond complex, and emotionally-charged. Everything feels inadequate and polarizing and in the end it’s not about us. It’s about ending apartheid and ethnic cleansing, halting anti-Arab and antisemitic violence, and securing the basic human rights of Palestinians. Joining this boycott felt like one action that we could concretely take to oppose a government an ocean away.
With that in mind, here are some answers to some of the questions we have received since announcing our endorsement in March.
Does this mean that Jewish and Israeli artists or audience members aren’t welcome at Buddies or can’t present work there?
Jewish and Israeli artists and audience members are always welcome at Buddies.
PACBI is not a boycott of cultures, religions, peoples, or individuals. Jewish folks and Israeli citizens have made phenomenal contributions to Buddies over the years, have helped create this institution, make up an important part of the communities that have been attending Buddies since its inception, and are welcome at Buddies as artists and audience members, always.
We do not believe that opposing the actions of the government of Israel constitutes antisemitism. We also recognize that globally, both anti-Arab racism and antisemitism are on the rise, and there’s a lot of pain, fear, and grief out there. We unequivocally stand against hate, intolerance, and discriminatory behaviour on the basis of someone’s identity. As always, if we see this happening at Buddies, our team is ready to step in, de-escalate, and make sure the affected person is kept safe.
What exactly are we boycotting when we endorse PACBI?
PACBI specifically addresses the state of Israel and rejects, on principle, boycotts of individuals based on their opinion or identity (such as citizenship, race, gender, or religion). This includes the following:
- Israeli state theatres, performing arts organizations, and other cultural institutions that don’t recognize the human rights of Palestinian people under international law.
- Shows, performances, or plays commissioned by an official Israeli state institution, or a non-state institution that promotes the state of Israel’s current oppression, dehumanization, and violence against Palestinian people.
- Cultural events or activities (e.g., a festival) sponsored by Israeli state funding.
- Performing in Israel.
- Normalization projects: any project that brings together Palestinians (and/or Arabs) and Israelis (individuals or institutions) and does not meet the following two conditions:
- The Israeli individuals and or institutions publicly recognize the UN-affirmed inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and;
- the joint activity constitutes a form of co-resistance against the Israeli regime of occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid.
Why aren’t you boycotting anyone else?
We are. It is a condition of our funding from the government of Canada that we cannot accept any funding from Russian and Belarusian state organizations and partners. Russian imperialism and violence in Ukraine are also of great concern to us, and this ensures that our work does not contribute to that violence or its normalization.
Why are the comments turned off on your endorsement-related Instagram post?
The comments section is not a super generative or effective place to have this conversation, and unfortunately many people use comments sections to be hateful and abusive. After this posting, we engaged offline with concerned community members that reached out to us. If you have further questions, please reach out to us at inquiries@buddiesinbadtimes.com.
