Artists are pulling out from SXSW: “A music festival should not include war profiteers”
nme.comSXSW sharing: “A music festival should not include war profiteers”.American musician Squirrel Flower, real name Ella O’Connor Williams, is among those who have withdrawn.
She was set to perform at a handful of official showcases at the formidable arts festival – which covers ground across the entertainment and technology industry in Austin, Texas on March 12 and 14.Williams will still perform at some unofficial showcases that have no ties to SXSW in Austin.
Taking to social media, the singer expressed her decision to pull from the famous festival and said in a statement: “I have decided to pull out of my official SXSW showcases in protest of SXSW’s ties to the defence industry and in support of the Palestinian people.”She continued: “There are many ways SXSW is harmful to working musicians, but I am pulling out specifically because of the fact that SXSW is platforming defence contractors including Raytheon subsidiaries as well as the US Army, a main sponsor of the festival.“Genocide profiteers like Raytheon supply weapons to the IDF, paid for by our taxes,” she continued. “A music festival should not include war profiteers.
I refuse to be complicit in this and withdraw my art and labour in protest.”UMAW supports the Austin for Palestine coalition and artists like @sqrrlflwr @okayshalom and @elizamclamb , who have pulled out of their official SXSW showcases in solidarity with Palestine.
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