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A row broke out after an exhibition of photos taken by children in a Palestinian village was pulled from an exhibition at a Wirral arts festival.

The Liverpool Friends of Bil’in accused the trustees of Heswall Hall of censorship, saying their exhibition, Silent Voices, was removed without explanation 24 hours before it was due to open.

The exhibit consists mainly of photographs taken by children, portraying their everyday lives in the West Bank village of Bil’in, and the group said they were left reeling after it was taken down without consultation last Friday.

The trustees said they had a responsibility to ensure any exhibition at the hall was “objective”.

Silent Voices was originally added to the Heswall Arts Festival programme several months ago and was still listed on the website of the festival, which began last Saturday and runs until October 11.

It has been displayed around the country over the past two years, most recently at Liverpool Cathedral.

Gwen Backwell, co-ordinator of Liverpool Friends of Bil’in, said: “We have not been contacted by the trustees, so we don’t know what lies behind their action. We are left reeling with shock, anger and bewilderment with not even the courtesy of an explanation.

“Not even the festival committee, we believe, were given the courtesy of a consultation before it was taken down.

“This exhibition is presumably deemed unfit for the people of Heswall to see. At the very least, the people of Heswall should be aware of the censorship in their midst and an attack on the liberal principles upon which all arts festivals depend.”

The group hope to be able to find a venue for a future date.

In a statement, the trustees of the Heswall Hall Community Trust said: “It is unfortunate that this situation has arisen. The trustees have a responsibility to all users of this multi-purpose community hall to ensure that any event or exhibition at the hall is objective.

“Prior notice of the contents of the exhibition by the Heswall Arts Festival or the Liverpool Friends of Bil’in would have given the trustees the opportunity to discuss whether it was appropriate for the hall, and, if so, how it could have been best displayed.

“If Heswall Arts Festival or the Liverpool Friends of Bil’in wish to discuss the matter a meeting could be arranged.”

Valerie Warr, festival director, said: “We were disappointed, surprised and shocked by the decision.”