Freud filmmaker confronted by BDS protest about ‘genocide’

When Israeli filmmaker and peace activist Yair Qedar showed his film on the life and work of Sigmund Freud in Johannesburg on 26 September, he was confronted by protesters chanting, waving placards, and calling for a cultural boycott of Israel. 

What was meant to be a quiet evening of film and reflection on the life and work of Freud through the lens of his identity as an outsider, especially his position as a Jew in Vienna and later in exile, turned into a confrontation over politics and identity. 

As Qedar’s documentary Outsider: Freud, which has been shown in 17 countries, began to roll, protesters aligned with the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement gathered outside the venue, The Inside Out Foundation, demanding a cultural boycott. 

In promoting the screenings, it was made clear that though Qedar is Israeli, he attended the screenings as an independent filmmaker, and the film had not been financially supported by the Israeli government. 

It was also stated outright that Qedar recognises the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people as enshrined in international law; and has welcomed the recent recognition of the state of Palestine. Also, he has long been active in peace and queer rights movements in Israel, including founding the first Arab-Israeli left-wing youth organisation; and he opposed the war in Gaza; has called for an end to violence; and supports peace with Gazans. 

Despite this, protesters stood outside The Inside Out Foundation across from the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre (JHGC), asking for Qedar and the JHGC to acknowledge the genocide in Gaza and intimidating people who came to watch the film. 

“We were setting up, and they’re playing police siren sounds through speakers,” said Michael Benn, a psychoanalyst who brought Qedar to South Africa. “There might have been 20 to 30 people, but they were very loud, very vocal. They started to shout at people coming in, and were quite intimidating.” 

Qedar has been a peace and LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning) activist for 20 to 30 years, so he found it troubling and unfair to be told by people outside of the conflict that he was doing the wrong thing while he was a guest showing his film about a historical figure. 

Benn, a long-term fan of Freud, had seen the film making the rounds globally and wanted it to be shown to the psychoanalysis community in South Africa. 

“In terms of psychoanalysis, we love Freud. He’s the founder and probably one of the geniuses of our time,” said Benn. “So I felt that it would be great to bring it to the South African community because often these things go around the world and we miss out. 

“I thought that this movie, which is brilliant and winning awards, was something that we should watch here. And we should watch it with the producer and director giving a talk. I reached out, we spoke, it was good chemistry, and we decided we would make it happen.” 

“Because the centre is located opposite the JHGC, they were singing songs that the Holocaust Museum needed to acknowledge that a Holocaust was happening. They were loud and intimidating, and blocked people from coming in,” Benn said. 

“It got worse just before my arrival because we advertised it,” Qedar said. “Then it escalated fast, and they were communicating with Mike, and there was some negotiation and a bit of bullying about the terms of protest. They decided that I was perhaps anti-war, but I wasn’t anti-war enough. Because I didn’t call it genocide, I call it another word, so you know, I didn’t do the right thing there.” 

The protesters also posted pictures of Qedar and his son at an anti-Benjamin Netanyahu protest, and framed it as if he were a Netanyahu supporter on their social media. “I was giving out food for soldiers on 9 October because of the shortage in food,” said Qedar, “and they called me an Israel Defense Forces [IDF] recruiter, which is a term that doesn’t exist. What’s an IDF recruiter? It’s not a thing. It was unpleasant, especially the use of my son.” 

Qedar said that he felt threatened by the protesters outside the venue, and that the security present was useless. 

“They [the protesters] were violent, personal, and threatening, but we didn’t call the police,” he said. “We felt like we were under siege and that any minute, they were going to penetrate the building. I didn’t know what would happen.” 

While most of the protest action was outside the venue, one or two protesters bought tickets and were able to get inside the screening and disrupt the question and answer session. However, that was quickly stopped by other members of the audience. 

“People started to leave, and it was hurtful as it had an impact on the screening, and then we had a vote as to whether to continue without political discussion,” said Qedar. “I was afraid to leave the hall, but then we waited long enough, and they [the protesters] left so we could go home safely.” 

Though the experience upset him, Qedar said there wasn’t any protest activity at the other screenings in Johannesburg and Cape Town. “I’m glad that it didn’t snowball,” he said. “Nothing happened later. It’s a small, misguided phenomenon that was wrong and mislabelled.” 

He said many at the screening were confused about why the protest had happened. 

“Everybody was appalled by this strange experience,” Qedar said. He was astonished that these haters seemed to be taking on Freud. “Next thing, they are going to attack Einstein.” 

Qedar said he understood why people felt the need to protest, given the strong emotions involved. However, they should consider who they are targeting. 

“Some of the conversation and emotion stemmed from the current political situation – how do you relate to the Israeli government in South Africa and the memory of apartheid?” he said. “There’s so much weight, so much historical burden, and it all seemed to be channelled into this evening. You also need to separate the historical burden from what happens now – people are quick to compare. 

“I think it was a reaction. For example, one guy from BDS took over the microphone and said, ‘I blame the Holocaust Museum for not calling it a genocide.’ What’s the connection to Freud?” he asked.