Dozens of bands drop out of Texas music festival in protest of Israel ties

More than 80 bands cancel performances at annual music festival, protesting sponsorship by defense companies with ties to Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

More than 80 bands and a number of panelists have dropped out of an annual music and media film festival in Texas, protesting some of the sponsors’ ties to Israel and the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas terror organization.

Every March since 1987 – with two years cancelled during the COVID pandemic – tens of thousands of music and film fans, as well as conference-goers, have gathered in Austin, Texas for the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival and parallel film and media festivals, as well as a series of trade shows and conferences.

This year, however, dozens of musical acts have cancelled their planned appearances, citing the relationship of some of the SXSW sponsors with Israel.

The sponsors include the U.S. military and several defense industry contractors who, according to organizers of the SXSW boycott, have supplied Israel’s military with weapons and technology.

The boycott was launched by the Austin for Palestine Coalition, which wrote on its Instagram page Tuesday: “No more war profiteers and warmongers in this city!”

“Free Palestine. Ceasefire Now.”

The festival’s organizers have threatened to sue the group for organizing the boycott, even as they said Tuesday that they “fully respect” the boycott.

“We are an organization that welcomes diverse viewpoints,” read a message on the festival’s Instagram page. “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.”

“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.”

The bands who have announced their withdrawal from the festival include indie groups such as Squirrel Flower, Mamalarky, Omni, the Nigerian-South African signer Shalom Obisie-Orlu – better known by her stage name “Shalom” – and the entire roster of Irish performers, including Kneecap.

Several panelists who had been scheduled to speak at the parallel conferences organized under the umbrella of the South by Southwest festival also said they were nixing their appearances. They include Amazon unionizer Chris Smalls, social psychologist Devon Price, and sociologist Ruha Benjamin.

The state’s Republican governor, Greg Abbott, mocked the boycotters in a tweet.

“Bands pull out of SXSW over U.S. Army sponsorship. Bye. Don’t come back.”