Some of the U.K.’s most prominent studios and screen organizations have been sent a legal warning ov...

Some of the U.K.’s most prominent studios and screen organizations have been sent a legal warning over an industry boycott of Israeli film institutions. The letter from U.K. Lawyers for Israel states that the boycott, which has been backed by Hollywood stars including Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Olivia Colman and Mark Ruffalo, is a breach of the U.K.’s Equality Act and may also have a knock-on impact on financing and insurance. Last month, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights under Law of Washington D.C. sent out a letter to U.S. companies stating that the boycott infringes U.S. Federal and State laws. “Numerous federal and state civil rights laws plainly prohibit applying the Hollywood Blacklist [Boycott] against Israeli, and specifically Jewish Israeli individuals. Thousands of film industry names have signed the boycott including Yorgos Lanthimos, Ava DuVernay, Adam McKay, Boots Riley, Emma Seligman, Joshua Oppenheimer and Mike Leigh. They have pledged “not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.” In an asterisk, the letter clarifies that “implicated” is defined as “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, and/or partnering with the government committing them.” “We will never be deterred from our work to end complicity in Israel’s genocide and apartheid and will continue contributing to a global movement aimed at Palestinians achieving their UN-stipulated rights. It is a legal and moral imperative all should uphold, and we thank our community of artists who stand resolutely for humanity.” “Boycotting Jews isn’t an original idea, or, thankfully, a legal one in the United States of America,” Rory Lancman, director of corporate initiatives and senior counsel at the Brandeis Center, said in a statement. “We caution Hollywood decision makers against submitting to pressure to effectuate this blatantly illegal blacklist of Jewish Israeli artists and institutions. As we say in our letter, we much prefer to see their work on the screen, and not them in court.”