Tate Modern became the site of a protest against its biggest donor Len Blavatnik on Sunday, as the anti-Netanyahu Israeli protest group WeDemocracy accused him of undermining the freedom of the press. Blavatnik’s Access Entertainment owns a majority stake in Channel 13 News, one of the few Israeli broadcasters that has been known to openly criticize’s the country’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The most hard-hitting program “Hamakor,” hosted by outspoken investigative journalist Raviv Drucker, was recently canceled, just a month after the arrival of the channel’s new CEO, former politician Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich. The move prompted a backlash in Israel, with many journalists joining the “Emergency Conference to Save Channel 13.” The newspaper Haaretz published an op-ed that labelled it “a historic day in the destruction of Israel’s free press,” and claimed Blavatnik was responsible for Shamalov-Berkovich’s appointment.
Yesterday in London, WeDemocracy protestors could be heard chanting: “Blavatnik, don’t mess with freedom of the press!” In one provocative tableau, a woman wearing Channel 13’s logo was gagged with red tape while her wrists were attached to strings being manipulated by two men, one wearing a mask of Blavatnik’s face and the other Netanyahu’s.
Protesters dressed as Blavatnik, Netanyahu and a gagged Channel 13 reporter stage a “puppet show” outside the Blavatnik Building at Tate Modern as UK billionaire Len Blavatnik is accused of cancelling TV programmes on Channel 13 News in Israel which are critical of Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Vuk Valcic/ SOPA Images/ LightRocket via Getty Images.
The demonstration took place outside Tate Modern’s Blavatnik wing, which was opened in 2016 thanks to a record £50 million gift from the Ukrainian-born, British-American billionaire philanthropist, who is the second-richest man in Britain. Blavatnik has donated to many of London’s top cultural institutions, including the V&A, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Courtauld Institute of Art.
“Why does Len Blavatnik choose to close his eyes and allow the destruction of independent media in Israel?,” said one of the protestors, Aviel Lewis, on Instagram. “Don’t allow Israel’s Channel 13 [to] become another mouthpiece for Netanyahu on his way to dictatorship.”
A spokesperson for Access Industries denied that the Blavatnik had any role in appointing Shamalov-Berkovich as CEO of Channel 13 News, saying this was instead decided by an independent board.
“Sir Leonard Blavatnik believes in the importance of press freedom in Israel and across the world,” they added. “He has invested a significant amount of money in Israel’s Channel 13 to safeguard its existence and secure the future of free, impartial journalism. The Channel has never had a political agenda – as is the law in Israel – and he has never had editorial input. He is pro-Israel, not pro-Netanyahu or any political party.”