Brian Eno to donate fee from Windows ‘95 chime to Palestine aid
Eno has called on Microsoft to “suspend all services that support any operations that contribute to violations of international law”.
Brian Eno is calling on Microsoft to divest in Israel, pledging the fee he received for composing the Windows ‘95 chime to Palestine aid.
In an open letter addressed to the tech giant, published yesterday (May 21), Eno called on Microsoft to “suspend all services that support any operations that contribute to violations of international law”.
He explained that, when creating the iconic chime that has since been heard by “millions, possibly even billions”, he “never would have believed that the same company could one day be implicated in the machinery of oppression and war”.
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“Today, I’m compelled to speak, not as a composer this time, but as a citizen alarmed by the role Microsoft is playing in a very different kind of composition: one that leads to surveillance, violence, and destruction in Palestine,” he wrote.
Eno also went on to note that a recent blog post published by Microsoft “acknowledged that it provides” Israel’s Ministry of Defence with software and professional services.
“These ‘services’ support a regime that is engaged in actions described by leading legal scholars and human rights organisations, United Nations experts, and increasing numbers of governments from around the world, as genocidal,” he wrote.
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In a conclusive note, Eno asks other artists, technologists and musicians to join the call, writing: “My new start up chime is this: stand in solidarity with the brave Microsoft workers who have done something truly disruptive and refused to stay silent.”
Eno also explained that he will donate the original fee he received for composing the chime to helping victims in Gaza, providing aid for those who are currently subjected to bombardment.
Read Brian Eno’s full letter here.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter.
