Street theater at the Jerusalem Film Festival (Photo: Sim Sim)
Activists from Just Jerusalem (the main Israeli organization working on the Sheikh Jarrah protests) greeted moviegoers attending the opening of the Jerusalem Film Festival with a scene they’ll not soon forget. Members of the group acted as "detainees" and "guards" to, in their words, "convey the essence of the occupation to the escapist public." The action was called "Bringing the Blindfolded to Jerusalem Film Festival" and the activists explain, "[The street theater was] simulating what thousands of Palestinians suffer. Our objective was to force Israelis to recognize the reality that is done on our behalf."
The Jerusalem Film Festival has already been in the news for attracting protest. It seems the message might have been lost on some of eyewitnesses however. One protester reports, "Many people thought this was real and thanked the "guards" for protecting them."
