The following statement was printed on flyers and handed out to the guests of the opening gala of CPH:DOX 2025, which was attended by prime minister Mette frederiksen and former secretary general of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg:
If You agree with the following statement, we invite You to a silent, peaceful action: show your support by flashing the watermelon on the back of this flyer, during the prime minister’s talk after the film.
Statement on the occasion of the CPH:DOX opening gala:
At the end of 2023, more than 1000 Danish filmmakers signed Filmfolk for Våbenhvile’s / Filmworkers for Palestine’s demand that our Danish government work purposefully for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Since then, the massacres, destruction and cynicism have grown to surreal dimensions. We are eyewitnesses to an unprecedented humanitarian and ecological catastrophe and unimaginable war crimes by any international standard. As late as Tuesday night, Israel has again broken the ceasefire and massacred more than 400 Palestinians.
At the same time, people everywhere in our so-called free world are being shamed, ridiculed, cancelled, arrested and even deported when talking about peace and freedom for Palestine.
As artists and storytellers, we cannot remain silent as our government supports these crimes.
Not only is our government turning the blind eye to the unbelievable horror and suffering of the Palestinian people, Denmark is also actively supporting the atrocities by allowing Danish companies to deliver weapon components and shipping military cargo facilitating the ethnic cleansing and targeting of civilians.
On the occasion of the opening film about NATO, we want to emphasize how Denmark’s unwavering support for allies committing war crimes, combined with its active involvement in the illegal arms trade, contributes to the erosion of international law and the dismantling of justice and diplomacy.
We will not accept this. We expect clear condemnation of the slaughter, the theft, the apartheid and the continued violation of international law and human rights perpetrated by Israel and its allies. We expect clear actions to cut ties with the genocide.
Enjoy the festival and free Palestine
Filmfolk for Våbenhvile / Filmworkers for Palestine
Thank you to those who joined in on the protest at @cph:dox opening gala against the danish governments shameful support of Israels and USAs war crimes.
As filmworkers and artists with a long connection to and love for CPH:DOX we worry about the festivals independence as they chose to invite the prime minister as guest of honour and celebrate her controversial viewpoints at the festivals opening gala.
Our watermelon flyer had a clear message for the prime minister: Arms embargo now. On Thursday last week, three new F-35 aircraft with Danish-produced components arrived in Israel. In yesterday’s bombardment of Gaza, more than 130 children were killed while they were sleeping. Many of them in a tent on the ruins of their homes.
While DOX were handing out pamflets on Human Rights, both the opening speech and the subsequent debate failed to address the clear risk of the weapon parts enabling crimes against civilian Palestinians by Israel right now.