London nightclub E1’s founder, Yuval Hen, has stepped away from his role as director after activists alleged that he aided in the IDF’s invasion of Gaza.
E1 became the subject of a boycott after it came to light that founder Yuval Hen allegedly served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during its invasion of Gaza. As of today, he has stepped down from his role as director of the London nightclub.
The revelation came courtesy of activist group Ravers for Palestine, who posted an apparent screen shot of a since-deleted Facebook post in which Hen’s loved one celebrated his safe return. It includes a photo of Hen wearing IDF military fatigues, and a translation reads, “Even if you were far away somewhere in Gaza, you still felt close to my heart…“
“We urge all ravers and DJs to boycott E1 until further notice,” reads Ravers for Palestine’s Instagram post. “There can be no place in our culture for actors and venues engaged in genocide.”
As noted by Mixmag, the International Court of Justice recently ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in its invasion of Gaza, although it stopped short of finding the country guilty of war crimes. A UK Parliament petition with over 13,000 signatures currently calls for charges to be brought up against British citizens who it argues have broken the fourth protocol of the Geneva Convention by traveling overseas to participate in the occupation.
As of today, February 16, Yuval Hen resigned as director of E1 according to the club’s Companies House listing. He also stepped away from the same role with E1 Records Limited and Studio Spaces Limited on the same date.
Israel has laid siege to Gaza ever since an attack on Israeli soil by the Hamas military group claimed over 1,200 lives, including hundreds at a trance festival called Supernova. The retaliation in Gaza, now in its fifth month, has resulted in a death toll of 28,000 Palestinians and left nearly 85% of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants homeless per Reuters.
E1 was already set to pause operations later in the year as its building is slated for demolition to make way for residential units and a storage facility. Tower Hamlets Council approved the nightclub’s plan to build a new space next to its current location.
