Dozens of bands pulled out of Austin’s annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in protest of the U.S. Army’s sponsorship of the event, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott let them know where they can shove it.
More than 80 bands have joined in boycotting the festival, which attracts over 300,000 people to Austin annually, over the U.S. Army’s “Featured Partner” status at the event that runs through Saturday.
The musical acts are reportedly giving up their chance to perform at what is widely viewed as a huge opportunity for up-and-coming artists over the U.S. government’s support of Israel amidst their conflict with Gaza.
They were spurred along by activist group the Austin for Palestine Coalition which also objected to allowing defense companies RTX, Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems, to sponsor the event.
Bands pull out of SXSW over U.S. Army sponsorship.
Bye. Don’t come back.
Austin remains the HQ for the Army Futures Command.
San Antonio is Military City USA.
We are proud of the U.S. military in Texas.
If you don’t like it, don’t come here.
https://t.co/t3RyQgLRKN— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) March 12, 2024
Belfast hip-hop group Kneecap led the charge on Sunday, when they backed out last minute “in solidarity with the people of Palestine” in a lengthy social media post.
The trio said that their cancellation was to “highlight the unacceptable deep links the festival has to weapons companies and the US Military who at this very moment are enabling a genocide and famine against a trapped population.”
The group noted that they could “not in good conscious” attend when the Army is listed as a “Super Sponsor” of the arts festival, which is also “platforming” defense contractors who sell “the weapons that have murdered 31,000 Palestinians, over 21,000 of them women and children.”
We will not be appearing at @sxsw festival. 👇 pic.twitter.com/nt5hEMH2GM
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) March 10, 2024
Kneecap was joined by dozens of other bands including TC Superstar, Eliza McLamn, Squirrel Flower, Abe Batshon, the Lambrini Girls, and Okay Shalom.
The Brooklyn-based singer posted that “There’s always a right thing to do and it’s almost never as complicated as the establishment wants you to believe. And sometimes it costs you a dream, but a dream is a dream and not a life.”
Gov. Abbott certainly isn’t losing any sleep over the indie bands’ decision to miss out on the opportunity of performing at SXSW.
“Bye. Don’t come back,” the governor wrote on Tuesday. “Austin remains the HQ for the Army Futures Command. San Antonio is Military City USA. We are proud of the U.S. military in Texas. If you don’t like it, don’t come here.”
The festival issued a lengthy statement on Wednesday, noting that they “do not agree” with Abbott’s stance.
“We are an organization that welcomes diverse viewpoints. Music is the soul of SXSW, and it has long been our legacy. We fully respect the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech,” SXSW wrote.
“Across the globe, we are witnessing unspeakable tragedies, the rise of repressive regimes, and the increasing spread of violent conflict,” the statement continued.
“It’s more crucial than ever that we come together to solve these greater humanitarian issues.”
Festival organizers attempted to justify their inclusion of defense contractors as sponsors by claiming that the industry has “been a proving ground” for the systems modern society relies on.
They also noted that the defense industry is “often leaders in emerging technologies,” and claimed they believed that understanding “how their approach will impact our lives” is necessary.
“The Army’s sponsorship is part of our commitment to bring forward ideas that shape our world,” the organization stated.
“In regard to Collins Aerospace, they participated this year as a sponsor of two SXSW Pitch categories, giving entrepreneurs visibility and funding for potentially game-changing work.”
— eliza (@elizamclamb) March 4, 2024
They wrapped up with a message that SXSW will “continue to support human rights for all,” and said that the Israel-Hamas conflict “illuminates the heightened importance of standing together against injustice.”
Artists like Eliza McLamb don’t seem to care about what spin the festival puts on their sponsorship choices.
“I will never put my name on or perform my labor for an event in service of the US war machine, and especially not now as they continue to fuel the ongoing violence against Palestinians,” she tweeted. “Blood money has no place in music.”