Responding to the suspension of four musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra for protesting at the recent visit to London of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, 117 prominent figures in the arts industry have signed a letter criticising the LPO management and requesting that it reverse its decision.

The four players were suspended because they had made their protest explicitly as members of the LPO; the controversy has escalated beyond issues of the appropriateness or otherwise of protests against Israeli organisations to become one of the limits of employee responsibility in matters of political conscience.