Cancelled Israeli kinesiologist reinstated at MindBodySpirit Festival

UPDATED: The MindBodySpirit Festival has reinstated Melbourne-based Israeli kinesiologist Sharon Tal after initially excluding after a campaign by ostensibly pro-Palestinian activists.

Tal, who has practised kinesiology for 25 years and exhibited at the festival for almost a decade, was told earlier this week that her appearance had been cancelled.

But festival organisers said in a statement on Thursday morning that after careful consideration and following consultation with venue and security personnel, “We are pleased to be reinstating Sharon Tal as a participant in our upcoming Melbourne Festival program.

“We greatly value our longstanding relationship with Sharon Tal and her significant contributions to our festivals, and we sincerely regret the distress caused by our prior decision to remove her from the program,” they said. “We would emphasise this decision was made with the best of intentions and was not based on religion, ethnicity, or personal beliefs.

“We are confident, however, that the security precautions we have in place will allow us to stage a safe, harmonious and respectful experience for our staff, exhibitors and Festival attendees.”