OAN’s Sophia Flores
10:37 AM – Thursday, March 14, 2024
Dozens of bands and artists have pulled out of the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival after discovering that the event is sponsored by the U.S. Military.
Musicians and representatives maintained that their protest of the Army is in part due to the armed forces supplying weapons that are “supporting [a] violent oppression of the Palestinian people.”
Protests that were set up by the organization “Austin For Palestine Coalition” originally began back in February. The group called for a protest and boycott of the famous yearly music festival due to its sponsors’ ties. The group asserted that the U.S. Army, one of SXSW’s six “super sponsors,” has sent weapons to the Israeli military, and for that, should not be supported.
“SXSW must disinvite Raytheon (RTX), its subsidiary Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems to the conference and festivals in the city of Austin,” an Instagram post from the activist group read. “Raytheon, Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems have direct ties to the arming of Israel, supporting their violent oppression of the Palestinian people. Raytheon manufactures missiles, bombs, and other weapon systems for the Israeli military to use against Palestinians.”
One alternative/indie artist who dropped out, Ella Williams, who goes by the stage name Squirrel Flower, took to Instagram to label the U.S. Army as “genocide profiteers.”
“There are many ways SXSW is harmful to working musicians, but I am pulling out specifically because of the fact that SXSW is platforming defense contractors including Raytheon subsidiaries as well as the U.S. Army, a main sponsor of the festival,” she said.
“Genocide profiteers like Raytheon supply weapons to the IDF, paid for by our taxes,” Williams continued. “A music festival should not include war profiteers. I refuse to be complicit in this and withdrawal [sic] my art and labor in protest.”
Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas) responded to the news by telling the pro-Palestine artists, “Don’t come back.”
However, festival organizers quickly responded to the governor’s remarks by stating “SXSW does not agree with Governor Abbott.”
Nevertheless, organizers tried to defend the festival’s sponsorship with the U.S. Army by explaining that it was “part of our commitment to bring forward ideas that shape our world.”
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