Gay Club Criticised for Mock ISIS Execution Poster

Gay Club Criticised for Mock ISIS Execution Poster

An Israeli gay club has mocked up an ISIS execution to promote one of its parties. The poster, which has solicited a wave of criticism online, features two men in the desert wearing similar colours to the execution videos featuring the British terrorist ‘Jihad John’.

The ISIS-themed party took place last Friday at Tel Aviv’s Haoman 17 Club, and was organised by the gay club promoters known as Drek. In addition to the tasteless poster the night itself was called ‘Drekistan at the Haoman’ according to YFH.

The world was shocked when the video of James Foley’s execution was released on Facebook. It featured Mr Foley kneeling down whilst reading a statement, he was then beheaded with a small knife. Foley was dressed in a bright orange and Jihad John was all in black, the models in the gay poster are wearing similar colours. Two other Westerners: Steven Sotloff and David Haines have been beheaded in a similar way.

Whilst the idea of ridiculing ISIS might be welcome in the Western world the poster itself is seen as making light of the deaths of the Foley, Sotloff and Haines. The organisers of the night wrote on Drek’s Facebook page: “as the new Islamic State gains traction in the Middle East, we at Drek have decided to give in to Sharia law and cheer the stubborn Daesh”.

After a chorus of criticism Amiri Kalman, one of the Drek’s founders, said: “We are trying to react to current events. We have been doing it for a number of years. But we reject violence in any form and that includes the (execution) videos intended to scare the world.

“Therefore we also refuse to participate with this fear and refuse to become hysterical. This is satire, and our way of showing our contempt of them and their videos.”

Mr Kalman also said that the event itself did not include any terrorist iconography. Although the event was described as “stubborn” in Hebrew on Facebook, but the way it was written made it look like “hard necked”. This is generally accepted to have been another crass reference to executions.

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