Tilda Swinton Backs BDS at Berlinale Berlin

It is unbelievable that a famous actress like Tilda Swinton would use a global forum to support a movement that advocates the isolation and delegitimization of Israel.

At the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, a festival conceived to honor the power of cinema to unite people and bridge cultures, Swinton’s obscene expression of admiration for the BDS movement is nothing short of a shame.

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When Tilda Swinton declared, “I am a big admirer of BDS and have great respect for it,” she wasn’t being political, she was aligning herself with an extremist agenda that aims to dismantle the very essence of the Jewish state. BDS, or Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, is not a benign expression of discontent; it is a campaign to remove Israel from the earth by discrediting its right to exist. Such rhetoric has no place in any civilized discussion, much less on an international platform as sacred as the Berlinale.

The international community, and especially those of us who stand for truth and justice, must not allow this dangerous narrative to go unchallenged. Tilda Swinton’s words are not just an expression of misguided political sentiment, they are a call that emboldens those who would see Israel isolated, weakened, and ultimately undone. Since the security of Israel is more crucial than ever and its democratic achievement is an example for other nations all over the world, such BDS support is reckless and reprehensible.

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The BDS movement, with its radical underpinnings and extreme demands, is an affront to every life saved and every sacrifice made in the name of freedom and existence. To promote a movement that seeks to boycott Israel is to overlook the value of a nation that has given so much to the world in terms of technology, culture, and democracy.

Swinton’s endorsement is particularly maddening because it comes in an age when the Jewish world is more attuned than ever to antisemitism.

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Across the globe, scores of Israelis and Jews continue to be harassed and assaulted by ideology-fueled hate. To identify oneself with those forces which foster such hate is to commit treason against a basic loyalty to human decency as well as to the continuity of Jewish heritage.

Tilda Swinton’s comments are not merely a private misstep, she is part of a larger trend among some artistic communities that dangerously confuses cultural critique with an outright denunciation of Israel’s right to exist. Her comments erode the solidarity necessary to combat antisemitism, and they send a chilling message to extremists around the world.

Israel’s legacy, as a modern, democratic state built on the triumph over persecution, demands our unwavering defense. Whoever distorts this reality on the international stage must be held accountable.

I make it clear:

Public figures with global influence have a responsibility to promote unity and truth. Tilda Swinton’s remarks, which dangerously blur the lines between cultural critique and political extremism, must be met with a firm call for accountability.