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Turner Prize engulfed by anti-Israel rage as winner makes ‘genocide’ speech

A Palestine Solidarity Campaign rally outside Tate Britain was met by a pro-Israel demonstration

December 4, 2024 17:21
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Turner prizewinner Jasleen Kaur gives her acceptance speech (Image: BBC)
1 min read

The Turner Prize ceremony was engulfed by anti-Israel rage on Tuesday as this year’s winner gave a speech accusing the Jewish state of “genocide” while pro-Palestine protesters staged a rally outside. 

Jasleen Kaur, 38, took the stage wearing a Palestine scarf to accept the £25,000 award for her work exploring the lives and traditions of the Scottish Sikh community.

But Kaur’s acceptance speech took a political turn as she backed the anti-Israel rally and reiterated their call for the Tate to “sever ties” with Israel.

She said: “I want to echo the calls of protesters outside. They have gathered to make visible the demands in the open letter signed by – when I last checked – 1,302 signatories in just a week calling for you, Tate, to sever ties with organisations complicit in what the UN and the ICJ are finally getting closer to saying is a genocide of the Palestinian people.”