Demonstrators interrupt Sadler's Wells Batsheva Ensemble performance
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London Theatre Direct
A performance by Israeli dance group, Batsheva Ensemble at London's Sadler's Wells disrupted on Monday by activists protesting against the ongoing Israeli air strike campaign in Gaza.
Protestors stood on their seats and shouted during the performance before being removed by Sadlers Wells security staff.
Organisers of the protest said that their actions would continue at the Batsheva Ensemble's performances on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Batsheva Ensemble are an international company of young dancers. In their first visit to the UK, receives Israeli state funding that contributes to the cost of the dance troupe touring abroad. Batsheva Ensemble are an international company of young dancers
The campaigners claimed they were not protesting against individual Israeli artists but against the government. "Our message to Israel... is that institutions linked to the state, including cultural bodies like Batsheva, cannot expect to be welcomed as if they represented normalcy," claimed Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi of the Boycott Israel Network.
Before the interruptions on Monday, 11 of the the Batsheva Ensemble's shows in the UK have been disturbed since they began touring back in August.
More protests by the Boycott Israel Network are planned when the Tel Aviv-based group reaches Plymouth on 23 and 24 November, the final dates of its UK tour. All performances are subject to increased security.