Small toy figures are seen in front of displayed Netflix logo in this illustration taken March 19, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

An association of British lawyers who support Israel sent roughly 6o of the biggest film industry companies and agencies in the United Kingdom a legal warning about a pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions that has already garnered support from thousands in the film business.

“This boycott breaches the law in this country which protects people of all religions, races, and nationalities from discrimination,” Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), said in a statement to The Algemeiner on Monday. “If we allow celebrities to discriminate in this way, then it erodes the protection for everyone.”

Javier Bardem, Olivia Colman, Mark Ruffalo, and Emma Stone are among the more than 4,000 film industry professionals who signed the “Film Workers Pledge to End Complicity” last month, vowing not to work with Israeli film institutions – including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters, and production companies – which they claim are “implicated” in “genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.” The pledge defines “implicated” as “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, and/or partnering with the government committing them.” The boycott was spearheaded by the group “Filmworkers for Palestine.”

In a recent letter sent to major film companies — including the UK divisions of Netflix, Warner Bros, Disney, Amazon Studios, Apple, and Discovery — UKLFI argued that the boycott of Israeli film institutions is a breach of the UK’s Equality Act 2010 (EA). The law prohibits direct or indirect discrimination against persons because of “protected characteristics,” which include race, religion, and philosophical belief. “Race” includes nationality and ethnicity, and “philosophical belief” includes belief in the right of Jews to self-determination, according to UKLFI.

“[EA] is the key legislation in the UK protecting against racism and discriminatory treatment,” stated the letter, which was obtained by The Algemeiner. “If the UK television and film industry colludes with acts contrary to this legislation, organizations are themselves likely to be in breach. It also creates a dangerous precedent: one that condones the exclusion of individuals and/or organizations based solely on their nationality, ethnicity, and/or religion.”

“The boycott actively encourages its signatories to undertake discriminatory conduct contrary to the EA,” UKLFI further stated in its letter.

Domestic companies in the UK – such as the BBC, Film4, and ITV – also received the letter from UKLFI, as well as the film organizations BFI and Pact, the talent agencies Curtis Brown and United Agents, and unions such as Bectu and Equity.

UKLFI also said in its letter that any discrimination that breaches the EA can result in “potential legal, insurance, and funding issues” for the companies. They noted that efforts to breach the UK’s Equality Act are “highly likely to be a litigation risk,” and a deliberate breach of discrimination legislation could even invalidate insurance policies. Participating in the anti-Israel boycott may negatively affect funding for the company since financiers “typically require compliance” with anti-discriminatory laws, according to the group of lawyers. This means that any breach of the EA because of the boycott could result in a film being ineligible for government funding, or withdrawal of financing already granted, UKLFI claimed.

“It follows that a breach of the [EA] through the boycott, would render a film ineligible for government funding, or trigger clawback of finance already granted,” the letter noted.

UKLFI further stated that these companies could potentially be liable for any breaches of the Equality Act by their “staff and agents.” Actors, agents, managers, production companies, producers, and “anyone else who instructs, causes, induces, or helps to implement the boycott – for example, encouraging a distributor not to deal with Israeli outlets, or advising a colleague to insist on a boycott clause,” could also be liable for a breach of law.

“Producers and other contracting parties should also be aware that knowingly enabling or acquiescing to discriminatory demands – for example, by agreeing to exclude Israeli distributors or institutions from financing or distribution arrangements – may itself give rise to liability under the Equality Act,” UKLFI added.

The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights under Law recently sent a letter to major American film industry companies stating that the boycott infringes US federal and state civil rights laws. The letter was sent to major film studios, distributors, platforms, talent agencies, and film festivals. UKLFI noted in the letter it sent out this week to major film industry companies in the UK that if any of the organizations also operate in the US and participate in the boycott, they may be in breach of US laws as well.