Bands bail on Texas South by Southwest festival after discovering US Army sponsorship

Dozens of artists and bands have left the popular South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, in protest of the U.S. Army's sponsorship, claiming that it has supplied weapons "supporting their violent oppression of the Palestinian people."

The protest began in February when the organization Austin for Palestine Coalition called for a protest and boycott of SXSW based on its ties to the U.S. military and weapons manufacturing companies that have, the group claimed, supplied weapons to the Israeli military. 

"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."

Since then, several bands and performers pulled their scheduled appearances in an effort to support Palestinians.

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"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 US Army, a main sponsor of the festival," Squirrel Flower, also known as Ella Williams, wrote on Instagram.

She added, "Genocide profiteers like Raytheon supply weapons to the IDF, paid for by our taxes. A music festival should not include war profiteers. I refuse to be complicit in this and withdrawl [sic] my art and labor in protest."

The American punk band Scowl also wrote, "We came to this decision in protest of the U.S. Army’s sponsorship of SXSW. As well as the involvement of RTX (formerly Raytheon), Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems whom have direct ties to the manufacturing and supplying of weapons used against Palestinians."

The artist Okay Shalom responded, "Thanks for the support and solidarity re dropping out of SXSW. 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. Palestinians deserve to dream. They deserve to live."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott fired back against the bands and performers, telling them, "Don’t come back."

"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," Abbott wrote Tuesday on X.

SXSW later released its own statement emphasizing that it "does not agree with Governor Abbott" and "welcomes diverse viewpoints" including performers choosing to withdraw from the event.

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"These institutions are often leaders in emerging technologies, and we believe it’s better to understand how their approach will impact our lives," the statement said. "The Army’s sponsorship is part of our commitment to bring forward ideas that shape our world."

It concluded, "We have and will continue to support human rights for all. The situation in the Middle East is tragic, and it illuminates the heightened importance of standing together against injustice."

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SXSW, which kicked off last Friday, will run until Saturday. Although dozens of bands have boycotted the festival, SXSW reported more than 2,000 performers are scheduled for the event.