Spanish Activists Demonstrate Naked in Front of Palestinian Barrier
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Maia Efrem September 17, 2015
In an example of , Spanish activists in full clown makeup — red noses included — disrobed in front of the West Bank separation barrier in Jerusalem to protest the wall’s existence as a divider between Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Image by YNet News
The group, Pallasos en Rebeldia — Clowns in Rebellion — received mixed reactions (to say the least) with strong criticism from conservative Palestinians calling their protest a disrespectful show of “disgusting solidarity.” Others welcomed the clowns’ support in the hopes that the photos would draw world-wide attention to their plight.
The activists, who held protests earlier in the week in Bethlehem, Ramallah and East Jerusalem, explained their actions with a statement on their Facebook page: “When you stand before this shameful fence, all of humanity is naked. The decision to be photographed as naked clowns was meant to remind us that all of humanity has lost its respect by allowing such barriers to exist. The 21st Century is the time we need to break barriers and not build new ones. We apologize to the Palestinians whose feelings were hurt in this act. This is not an act against Islam; this is our way of denouncing the barrier.”
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
