More than 400 Czech artists have now signed an open letter to the Czech government and president calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel.

The group led by singer and actor Tomáš Klus has joined forces with the US group Artists4Ceasefire. On Saturday night, members unveiled a banner reading “Artists For Ceasefire” at the Anděl Music Industry Awards in Prague.

Following the example of their American counterparts, some artists have also put up plaques with the hand symbol and a black heart on a red background. Representatives of the Jewish community have criticised the symbol for its resemblance to a photograph of the massacre of Israelis in Ramallah in 2000.

“We have come together as artists, but above all as people who have witnessed the devastating loss of life and the ongoing horrors in Gaza and the West Bank. Together, we ask the representatives of the Czech Republic to call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before thousands more lives are lost,” the open letter reads.

The artists also want Czech officials to call for an immediate end to the food, water, electricity and humanitarian aid blockade.

In a report last week, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned that without further action, famine would break out in northern Gaza by May at the latest and could spread to the rest of the region by July.

(Ondřej Plevák | Euractiv.cz)

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