Palestinian Children's Art Protest

Protest Against Censorship of Palestinian Children's Art by MOCHA


Dozens of people picket the Oakland Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA).

Two weeks after the Middle Eastern Childrens' Alliance for Peace (MECA) announced that Zionist groups had pressured the Oakland Museum of Children's Art (MOChA) to cancel its planned exhibit of Palestinian children's artwork, dozens came out to protest censorship on Friday, September 23.


Children came out to protest censorship of their Palestinian peers' artwork.

The art was made by children depicting the 2008-09 Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip. Members of the museum board claimed that the graphic depictions of violence was not "appropriate."

Hilman Sorey, chair of the MOCHA told the San Francisco Chronicle, "Our aim, as with all exhibits, is to foster insight and understanding. However, upon further review and engagement with the community, it became clear that this exhibit was not appropriate for an open gallery accessible by all children."

Yet the museum previously showcased similar content. "In 2007, it exhibited paintings made during World War II by American children in the Kaiser shipyard child care center. The art featured images of Hitler, burning airplanes, sinking battleships, empty houses and a sad girl next to a Star of David," and "In 2004, art by Iraqi children hung on the museum's walls. The pictures, made shortly after the U.S. invasion, included a picture of a helicopter shooting into a field of flowers," the Chronicle reported.

Another protest was held on Saturday, September 24, in which MECA revealed that they secured another venue around the corner for the art exhibit.


Photo: Dave Id/Indybay.org



Photos by Reginald James. Video by Dave Id of Indybay.org. This story was originally posted to Indybay.org.

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