Resist my people, Resist them (Qawem ya sha’abi, qawemhum)
Artist: Dareen Tatour
Year: 2015
Date of Action: October 11th, 2015
Region: Middle East
Location: Israel
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Internet, Literature, Public Speech
Confronting Bodies: Israeli Police
Description of Artwork: Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour posted her poem, "Qawem ya sha’abi, qawemhum” (Resist my people, Resist them) as well as a number of politically charged statuses to Facebook. The poem and statements were all unprotect to the occupation, denouncing the crimes committed against Palestinians by the Israeli army as well as other settlers.
The Incident: On October 11th, 2015, Tatour was arrested by the Israeli police for the poem she had posted on Facebook. She was charged with incitement to violence and identifying a with a terrorist organization. She testified and admitted to writing the statuses protesting the occupation.
Results of Incident: Dareen Tatour was put under house arrest for her posts. Many organizations objected to this decision, saying that her poems were peaceful and non violent protests and that this instance was yet another problematic example of the Israeli's government silencing and repressing Palestinian speech.
Source:
Political poetry as a crime: Inside the surreal trial of Dareen Tatour
