"If Every Poster Was a Stone" – Upcoming Bay Area Art Exhibition Glorifies Terror
An upcoming exhibition in Oakland, organized by PYM Bay Area, celebrates the First Intifada — a wave of violence in which 200 Israelis were killed in shootings, bombings, and other violent attacks
An art exhibition titled “If Every Poster Was a Stone” will take place at the Eastside Arts Alliance & Cultural Center in Oakland, California, from June 28 to August 30. Organized by PYM Bay Area, the event glorifies the violence of the First Intifada, which began in December 1987. The First Intifada involved widespread protests, civil disobedience, and violent clashes, during which Palestinian protesters used stones, Molotov cocktails, shootings, and suicide bombings to attack Israelis, resulting in significant casualties.
The exhibition draws direct parallels between the act of throwing stones during the Intifada and the potential for posters to incite violence. The event’s description states, “If each poster is a stone, then each is both a weapon and a building block.” The exhibition aligns with the rhetoric of groups like PYM, which commonly parrot the phrase “Globalize the Intifada,” calling for violence against Jews and Israelis worldwide.
Posters Celebrating Violence
Flyers for the event feature visuals that depict scenes from the Intifada, such as individuals throwing rocks and masked figures resembling Hamas militants. These images directly evoke the violent acts of the Intifada, framing them as acts of “resistance”, which is a euphemism for terrorism. One flyer reads, “Palestine Prints to intervene disrupt & confront,” reinforcing the exhibition’s militant tone.
Art Inciting Terrorism
This event highlights how anti-Israel groups seek to glorify violence and terrorism through various activities, including art exhibitions, protests, and demonstrations.
There is growing concern about the actions of similar groups, as seen recently in the UK with Palestine Action, which vandalized military aircraft at RAF Brize Norton and breached security. As a result, the UK government is set to proscribe Palestine Action under terrorism legislation, equating the group with other terrorist organizations. As similar movements gain traction in the U.S., the narratives and imagery they promote contribute to the normalization of terrorism as a form of political expression.