Divestiture group barred from ArtBeat

By George P. Hassett

A local group dedicated to convincing elected officials to pull all municipal bonds from investment in Israel, said they were barred from a public event by the Mayor.

The Somerville Divestiture Project (SDP) said they received an e-mail from Gregory Jenkins, the Director of the Somerville Arts Council, indicating they will not be allowed to participate in this year’s ArtBeat festival in Davis Square.

The SDP said they had participated in the annual weekend-long arts festival for the past two years and had never caused any difficulty. SDP said they have contacted lawyers to discuss their options.

Developing…