Greg Abbott tells musicians to ‘not come back’ to Texas

In the midst of the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday told musicians pulling out of the festival over the US military’s sponsorship of the event: “Do not come back” to the state.

Drawing thousands of visitors to Austin each March, SXSW is an internationally recognized event showcasing music, film and interactive media. The SXSW 2024 festival kicked off on March 8 and is expected to run through the 16th with live panels and special events.

Despite the event’s two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival’s impact on Austin’s economy in 2022 totaled $280.7 million, according to SXSW, as it typically attracts more than 300,000 people every year.

However, the festival comes amid heightened tensions in the United States and around the world due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas that began on October 7, when Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian attack on Israel in history. killing 1,200 people.

Israel subsequently launched the most intense airstrikes in its history against the Gaza Strip. More than 30,800 Palestinians have been killed in the territory, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, The Associated Press said. The rising death toll has led to international calls for a pause in the fighting to allow humanitarian aid into the Strip.

On Sunday, celebrities attending the 2024 Academy Awards wore pins in support of the ceasefire in Gaza.

On Tuesday, musicians including Kneecap, Lambrini Girls, Scowl, Gel, Okay Shalom, Squirrel Flower and Sprints began walking out of the event to protest the US military being a sponsor of the event. The artists would perform at the festival from March 11 to 16.

In a statement on supply of weapons. to Israel by the United States.

The group added that backtracking would have “a significant financial impact” on the group. “But it is not even an ounce of difficulty compared to the unimaginable suffering being inflicted every minute, every day on the people of Gaza.”

In response, Abbott took to X, formerly Twitter, to criticize the musicians’ move, saying, “Don’t come back,” and adding that Texas is proud of the US military.

“Bands withdraw from SXSW over US Army sponsorship. Goodbye. Don’t come back. Austin remains the headquarters of the Army Futures Command. San Antonio is the US military city. We are proud of the US Army in Texas. If you don’t, “I don’t like it, don’t come here,” Abbott wrote in X.

news week reached out to Abbott’s office and the U.S. Army via email for comment.

However, in an email to news week, Targeted SXSW news week to a series of posts on X, in which they said they disagree with Abbott’s comments.

“SXSW does not agree with Governor Abbott. We are an organization that embraces diverse points of view. Music is the lifeblood of SXSW and has long been our legacy. We fully respect the decision these artists made to exercise their right to freedom of expression. “Around the world, we are witnessing unspeakable tragedies, the rise of repressive regimes and the increasing spread of violent conflict. “It is more crucial than ever that we come together to solve these most important humanitarian problems,” SXSW said.

“The Army’s sponsorship is part of our commitment to present ideas that shape our world. We have supported and will continue to support human rights for all. The situation in the Middle East is tragic and illuminates the growing importance of standing united against injustice “, SXSW added.

Following the October 7 attack, President Joe Biden, who later highlighted the need for humanitarian aid to Gaza, announced that the United States would support Israel during the conflict and pledged to send the country a trove of military equipment and weapons. The United States is currently the main weapons supplier to Israel and several such systems are being deployed in the conflict.

The US military is also leading the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and will build a seaport on the territory’s Mediterranean coast, as Biden announced during his State of the Union address last week.

“This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined,” Biden said during the speech. The president called on Israel to “do its part” to facilitate aid in the region.

Meanwhile, in a statement to the BBC, the US military said it was “proud to be a sponsor of SXSW and to have the opportunity to showcase the US military… explore new ideas and knowledge, and create dynamic industry partnerships.” .

Update 03/12/24 4:54 pm ET: This article was updated with comments from SXSW.