Apordoc, the Portuguese Association for Documentary Film, and its projects Doc’s Kingdom and Doclisboa have become Apartheid Free Zones (Espaços Livres de Apartheid).

As part of the BDS movement, the Apartheid Free Zones (Espaços Livres de Apartheid, ELA) campaign seeks to promote the creation of progressive and intersectional spaces around the world, free from Israel’s genocide, apartheid, and colonialism, and which bring together multiple struggles for justice and equality. As BDS Portugal defines it:

“Israel’s genocidal war against the 2.3 million Palestinians in the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip has highlighted the importance of expanding the Apartheid-Free Zones: there can be no business as usual under apartheid and genocide. […] A local organisation, trade union or business wishing to become an Apartheid-Free Zone undertakes to refrain from providing any form of support to Israel’s regime of oppression. This objective can be achieved through a range of measures, depending on the local socio-political context, alliances and the nature of the organisation.”

Apartheid Free Zones commit to cutting all ties with BDS priority targets and divest, where applicable, from companies listed by authoritative UN and civil society research groups, when possible. In Lisbon, spaces like Sirigaita, Casa da Achada — Centro Mário Dionísio, Bota or Casa do Comum are also members of the network of Apartheid Free Zones.