A host of Irish artists have pulled out of an American arts festival over the ongoing Izrael-Gaza conflict.
Artists such as Kneecap and Gavin James have announced their departure from South by Southwest (SXSW) in Texas over the arts festival’s sponsorship with the US Army.
The festival, which runs until March 16 in the city of Austin, celebrates film, comedy and music and attracts more than 300,000 people each year.
Kneecap were the first act to cancel their official showcases, followed by Sprints, Soda Blonde, Gavin James, Robert Grace, Mick Flannery, and Chalk.
Gurriers, Cardinals and NewDad announced their cancellation on Tuesday.
Northern Irish-funded artists Enola Gay and Conchur White then followed suit.
In a statement shared on X, Kneecap said they cancelled their three sets at the festival “in solidarity with the people of Palestine.”
They wrote: “We cannot in good conscience attend an arts festival that has ‘The U.S Army’ as a ‘Super Sponsor’ and is platforming RTX (formerly Raytheon), Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems, the very companies selling the weapons that have murdered 31,000 Palestinians, over 21,000 of them women and children.”
The statement continued: “These organisations are literally profiting from and facilitating war crimes.”
We will not be appearing at @sxsw festival. 👇 pic.twitter.com/nt5hEMH2GM
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) March 10, 2024
Gavin James wrote in a statement on his Instagram: “I have decided I will not be performing or travelling to SXSW this week.”
“Music and art should always stand on the side of peace and humanity.”
“I will never support any event that is associated with weapons of war.”
“For anyone who may have planned to attend my shows, I hope to see you later in the year.”
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The wave of cancellations from the showcase comes after local group Austin 4 Palestine called on SXSW to “disinvite Raytheon, Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems from the festival” and to “reevaluate the inclusion of agencies in the Department of Defense in events and discussions hosted by the festival.”
Israel launched a campaign in the Gaza Strip after Hamas – the group which runs the territory and which the UK government says is a terrorist organisation – attacked Israel on October 7.
America is Israel’s biggest military backer, providing billions of dollars in defence aid every year, and a number of weapons Israel is using in the conflict, including jets and bombs, are US-made.
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