London - Arabstoday
Larissa Sansour
French clothes retailer Lacoste has revoked Larissa Sansour\'s nomination from its prestigious Lacoste Elysee prize which awards photographers for their work.
The Jerusalem born Sansour was described
as too \'pro-Palestinian\' by the company who withdrew her name from the list of nominees and consequently robbing her of her chances to win the EUR25 000 prize money.
On her website, the artist who spends her time between London and Copenhagen said she was deeply disturbed by the company\'s stance and was \'shocked\' by such a decision.
Palestinian Solidarity Campaign described the move as unacceptable and questioned whether the company would have made a similar decision over an Israeli artist deemed too pro-Israel.
In november, three of her photos included in the \'Nation Estate \'project, were chosen by the judging panel and she was congratulated for her work and her professionalism. Her name was shortlisted for the coveted prize but does not appear on the list anymore.
She is deeply sadenned by this attitude and said that while this year Palestine was official included in Unesco, \"Palestinian voices continue to be muzzled\". She also expressed her worry at the decision by a private firm to take such a one sided stance and censor her work.
Some have already called for the boycott of the french label.