More than 1,300 artists and performers, including Academy Award winning British actress Olivia Colman, have signed a letter addressing the arts and culture sector, accusing cultural institutions in the West of “repressing, silencing and stigmatizing Palestinian voices and perspectives”, Anadolu Agency reports.

“We find it deeply troubling and, frankly, indicative of a disturbing double standard that expressions of solidarity, which have been readily offered to other peoples facing brutal oppression, have not been extended to Palestinians,” the letter said.

The artists said that such a discrepancy raises serious questions about bias in response to “grave human rights violations”.