The event in Malmo has been axed as cinemas refused to host it, citing security concerns among other reasons, the organizers have said
The Jewish International Film Festival in Malmo, Sweden has been canceled because no venue agreed to host it, with some citing unspecified “security reasons,” the organizers have said.
Since the start of Israel’s military operation in Gaza in October 2023, a number of Jewish cultural events have faced similar difficulties in Western countries.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Sam Klebanov, one of the festival’s organizers, wrote that “finding a cinema for the festival turned out to be a real challenge.”
“No arthouse cinema wanted to host us for various reasons,” he added, with some claiming “they were already full” and others citing “security reasons.” The festival – to mark 250 years of Jewish heritage in Sweden from November 29 to December 2 – has been canceled.
According to Klebanov, the festival had received “no threats at all,” while Malmo police had offered to provide additional security.
Commenting on the situation in a post on Instagram on Friday, Swedish Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand described it as an “absolute disaster for society.”
Earlier this month, Germany’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, reported that the country’s Jewish population has faced “record levels” of anti-Semitism since 2023.
In the US, a shooting near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, in May claimed the lives of two Israeli Embassy staff members.
Last week, US President Donald Trump declared the Gaza conflict “over” after brokering a peace deal between Israel and Hamas.
Israel launched its military operation after a deadly Hamas incursion into its territory in October 2023 that left more than 1,200 people dead and around 250 others taken hostage. The ensuing campaign by the Israel Defense Forces has killed nearly 70,000 people in Gaza, according to local health authorities.
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