A British book fair has dropped its Zionist sponsor

The HAY Literary Festival in Wales, UK, has dropped its main Zionist sponsor, Bailey Gifford. This was caused by the mass refusal of authors and speakers who were scheduled to appear at the festival.

Singer Charlotte Church and comedian Nish Kumar did not attend the festival. They say that they showed their solidarity with the Palestinian people and protest against art censorship. This was reported by The Guardian.

The group Fossil Free Books demanded that Gifford divest its assets from companies that "profit from occupation, apartheid and genocide". More than 700 writers and publishers signed this demand.

Julie Finch, organizer of the HAY Literary Festival, said she was terminating the sponsorship deal "due to demands from activists and pressure on unpopular authors".

"Our priority is our authors and readers. "The most important thing is that we should preserve the space for free speech and free discussion where different opinions can be heard," he said.

In order to preserve the independence of the festival, its organizers decided to change the sponsorship.