Dozens of musicians and panelists have pulled out of the festival over concerns of links to the U.S. Army and defense companies.
Topline
Dozens of musical artists and some panelists have pulled out of the SXSW music, film and media festival underway in Austin, Texas, this week, protesting the festival’s ties to the U.S. Army and other defense companies who the artists say are enabling violence against Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza.Key Facts
The protest appears to have started in February after a local group, the Austin for Palestine Coalition, called attention to the involvement of several defense companies that the group says manufactures weapons and military equipment used in Gaza, including BAE Systems and RTX Corporation’s subsidiary Collins Aerospace.
The group called on SXSW to “disinvite” companies from the conference and to “use its platform to raise awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza”—Collins Aerospace was involved in events, including as a sponsor of two “SXSW Pitch” categories this year, SXSW said Tuesday, while a BAE Systems spokesperson told Rolling Stone the company “has no plans to participate” in this year’s festival.
Since then, dozens of mostly independent musicians have announced their withdrawal from the festival, citing the involvement of those companies at panels and exhibits as well as the U.S. Army’s sponsorship of the event.
Several panelists have also withdrawn their appearances from the festival, including Amazon Union President Christian Smalls, who announced an alternative event sent for Wednesday night in Austin, psychologist Devon Price and Princeton University Professor Ruha Benjamin.
