Just a few days before the inauguration of the Biennale of Sydney on March 21, its president, Luca Belgiorno-Nettis, tendered his resignation. Belgiorno-Nettis also serves as president of the board of directors of Transfield Holdings and Transfield Services. His resignation was expected after pressure was exerted by several artists from the Biennale in opposition to his participation as contractor of detention centers for immigrants of the Australian Government. The group of artists sent a letter threatening to boycott the Biennale. A fragment of the letter says: "We will not accept the mandatory detention of asylum seekers, because it is ethically indefensible and in breach of human rights; and… as a network of artists, arts workers and a leading cultural organization, we do not want to be associated with those types of practices." During the first week of March artists Libia Castro, Ólafur Ólafsson, Charlie Sofo, Gabrielle de Vietri an Ahmet Ögüt, supported the protest by withdrawing their works from the exhibition. Belgiorno-Nettis, whose father founded the Biennale of Sydney in 1973, affirmed in a statement for The Guardian periodical that: "With many of the participating artists now torn between loyalty to our creative director and wanting to make a stand against this government policy, the core spirit of the festival is under a dark cloud […] There would appear to be little room for sensible dialogue, let alone deliberation. Yesterday I learnt that some international government agencies are beginning to question the decision of the Biennale's board to stand by Transfield. Members of the Biennale staff have been verbally abused with taunts of 'blood on your hands'. I have been personally vilified with insults, which I regard as naïve and offensive. This situation is entirely unfair – especially when directed towards our dedicated Biennale team who give so much of themselves." According to The Guardian's report, organizers at the Biennale considered the alliance with controversial patron Tansfield Holding over after Belgiorno-Natis's resignation. Another four artists—Agnieszka Polska, Sara van der Heide, Nicoline van Harskamp and Nathan Gray—who had said that they would not participate and would withdraw their works from the exhibition, are now reconsidering that decision and plan to include their work again.