DJs Against Apartheid campaign reaches over 500 signatures in three days

DJs Against Apartheid, a campaign for electronic musicians to pledge solidarity with Palestinians, has received over 500 signatures since it launched on Friday (February 23).

Signatures so far include Logic1000, Saliah, Conducta, Mama Snake, KAVARI and more, with artists from all over the world having already pledged support of the campaign.

A statement on the official website asks DJs to “join hands” and “put an end to 75 years of occupation” recognising that while dance music is often celebratory “there can be no celebration or festivities during a genocide.”

The campaign was founded with the help of New York-based collective Palestine Forever, as a branch of Artists Against Apartheid dedicated to DJs and dance music.

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Co-founder of Palestine Forever and organiser of DJs Against Apartheid, Nour Khalil told Resident Advisor that the campaign was launched due to the need for “something more specific” than the Artists Against Apartheid initiative – drawing on the inclusive political history and ethos of dance music.

“Our scene was founded by queer, Black, and Brown people with the clear intention to support and uplift the marginalized communities they came from. These spaces were explicitly rooted in love, liberation, and resistance” a mission statement on the DJs Against Apartheid website reads.

“The dance music scene has always been and must continue to be centered around imagining and creating a safer, fairer, and freer world for all people” it continues.

Read this next: Culture as resistance: 6 Palestinian DJs you need to know

Artists Against Apartheid was launched in 2023 first calling on artists from all mediums to make art for a “free Palestine.” The movement has since organised marches, exhibitions, panels, workshops and protests, garnering support from the likes of Macklemore, Kid Cudi, Kehlani and more.

DJs Against Apartheid’s first panel and workshop is to be held in New York, tomorrow (February 27). The workshop invites NYC signees to discuss politics, history, cultural organising, liberation movements and the NYC dance scene in reference to apartheid.

For more information about DJs Against Apartheid visit the official website.

For a list of ways to help with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, click here.

Belle Richardson is Mixmag’s Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter