The Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow, Scotland, will be closed for the rest of the week after a pro-Palestine protest held in the institution’s courtyard on Tuesday afternoon.
Art Workers for Palestine Scotland organized a sit-in at CCA that was intended to last the entire week, calling for the CCA to support the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel amid Israel’s ongoing war in Palestine, according to the Art Newspaper. (CCA’s board had not backed the campaign earlier this month.)
Law enforcement was called to assist museum security staff in clearing the sit-in. According to the Glasgow Times, “three police buses, four vans, and a patrol car [were] deployed to the scene.”
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In a statement, Art Workers for Palestine Scotland said, “During a family-friendly reading and Arabic writing lesson outside the premises, CCA called the police who violently escalated: kettling members of the public, brutally arresting an elderly woman, and unforgivably putting their hands on us. Earlier, CCA’s internal security assaulted and tackled an art worker to the floor for entering the public space of the courtyard.”
The CCA’s board posted its own statement on Tuesday, saying that the institution was “closed to the public due to security and safety concerns, following a rapidly evolving situation involving an intended occupation of our courtyard space. Law enforcement was called in response to a forced entry, and the building was secured. We regret the disruption caused by today’s events and the impact on all those involved inside and outside of the building.”
On Wednesday, CCA said it would be closed for the rest of the week, adding, “This is not a decision we take lightly, but we recognise the need to pause. The temporary closure will allow us to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of our staff and partners, and to create space for reflection. We understand the strength of feeling being expressed by our community, and we remain committed to engaging with this moment thoughtfully.”