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PERFORMERS, SPEAKERS PULL OUT OF SXSW MUSIC FEST  
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Madaleine Rubin
March 12, 2024
Texas Tribune
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_ More than 80 musicians and panelists say they will no longer appear
at the nine-day festival, citing the U.S. Army’s support for Israel
amid war with Hamas. _

Fernando Antunes and Bruno Stefani, both of Sao Paolo, Brazil, video
record themselves on the escalator at SXSW at the Austin Convention
Center on March 8, 2024., ay Janner/American-Statesman/USA TODAY
Network via REUTERS

 

More than 80 music artists and multiple panelists have canceled
appearances at South by Southwest Festival over the U.S. Army’s
sponsorship of the event.

Gov. Greg Abbott
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“Bye. Don’t come back.”
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Bands, musicians and speakers slated to appear at the festival —
which runs from March 8 through March 16 — are pulling out in
protest of the U.S. military’s support for Israel in the ongoing
Israel-Hamas War.

“​​It is done in solidarity with the people of Palestine and to
highlight the unacceptable deep links the festival has to weapons
companies and the U.S. military who at this very moment are enabling a
genocide and famine against a trapped population,” Ireland-based rap
group Kneecap said in a statement on X
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California punk band Scowl, Brooklyn-based artist Okay Shalom and
indie band Lambrini Girls are among the dozens of performers who have
called off shows this week. Panelists Chris Smalls, president of the
Amazon Labor Union, Princeton University professor Ruha Benjamin and
others also canceled their appearances.

Many groups
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issued statements on social media citing the inclusion of military
defense manufacturers like Collins Aerospace, RTX and BAE Systems in
the festival as a reason they canceled performances.

The United States is the largest supplier
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of military aid to Israel. Israeli Defense Forces began a military
campaign in Gaza after a surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7
resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people in Israel, with 253 more taken
hostage.

Since then, more than 30,000 people
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have been killed in Gaza, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

The U.S. is providing humanitarian aid
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to Palestinians in Gaza, where the United Nations declared in February
that more than one quarter of residents
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are close to famine.

Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“We are proud of the U.S. military in Texas,” the Governor wrote
on X. “If you don’t like it, don’t come here.”

The festival’s organizers responded to Abbott with their own
statement on the social media platform
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South by Southwest “does not agree with Governor Abbott.”

SXSW typically draws over 300,000 attendees
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and generated nearly $381 million
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in spending for the Austin economy last year.

“We are an organization that welcomes diverse viewpoints,” the
organizers wrote. “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.”

On X, South by Southwest also defended its decision
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U.S. Army’s sponsorship. Festival organizers said that the
sponsorship is part of their “commitment to bring forward ideas that
shape our world.” The defense industry, they wrote, is often at the
forefront of new technology.

The festival added that they “have and will continue to support
human rights for all,” and called the war in the Middle East
“tragic.”

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* Israel
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* Palestine
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* Anti War Movement (11367)
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