Bosses in the Tourism Sector warned of Complicity of Hotels with genocide by Israel
03.12.2024
The “Association des Hoteliers et Restaurateurs Ile Maurice” (ARHIM) was today warned of the dangers to the reputation of the Mauritian tourism industry by Hotel bosses hosting artists from Israel when this State is committing genocide.
The “Ad Hoc Committee supporting Palestine”, set up in the wake of Ragini Kistnasamy’s Report Back from Palestine, has informed AHRIM of its duty to inform all hotels, including Maritim, of their responsibility to take into account the ethics of inviting artists who have, since the recently accelerated genocide Israel is perpetrating in Gaza, openly associated themselves with the State of Israel. The decision to send this letter was taken at a meeting held at LALIT. Here is a copy of the letter:
Tuesday 03 December 2024
Mr Thierry Montocchio – President of AHRIM
Mr Jocelyn Kwok – CEO of AHRIM
To all members of AHRIM
RE: Urgent action re Mystic Garden Festival Concert - 07 Dec 2024
Dear Sirs,
We are addressing you this letter in the context of the looming Mystic Garden electronic music rave concert to be held on December 7th, 2024 in the Ruins of Balaclava, a National Heritage Site, we believe, that is managed by the Hotel Maritim.
We call on the AHRIM, as the leading Professional Association of the Hospitality & Leisure Industry Hoteliers, to call, in turn, on the Maritim Resorts & SPA owners and managers to rescind their agreement to host two Israeli musical groups (Omiki and Vini Vici) due to perform in the concert. These two groups of Israeli origin have publicly expressed their support to the State of Israel, while this state is perpetrating genocide against the people of Palestine.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its Preliminary Measures issued in January, March and May, 2024, has declared a prima facie “plausible” genocide, and thus called for States that are signatories to the International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to take all measures so as to halt the genocide. On 24 November 2024, an international arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court against the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. It is only a matter of time until the entire world will take a stand against this genocide.
In the process, the Israeli state must be isolated – not just diplomatically but also economically, and this includes this case, , a cultural boycott, where there is not a clear stand taken by the musicians concerned against the Israeli State.
AHRIM can help ensure that all Mauritian hotels avoid collusion with the genocide. We call on you to propose to the Hotel Maritim owners and managers that they immediately rescind their offer to host the Israeli artists concerned, as part of a formal policy of isolating Israel. The reputation of the whole of the Mauritian Tourist industry is at stake.
We look forward to your positive intervention.
Yours sincerely,
Jean Marie Richard (Tel 52528375) and Lindsey Collen (Tel 57816256)
for the Ad Hoc Committee Supporting Palestine
