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Organizers of the South by Southwest music festival, held annually in Austin, clashed with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on social media on Tuesday. After the governor criticized bands that had pulled out of the festival over objections to the US military sponsoring it, writing “Don’t come back” the festivals The official X account, formerly Twitter, responded., “SXSW disagrees with Governor Abbott.” The musical component of the festival began on Monday and will run through Saturday.
Last week, several artists, including Kneecap, Scowl, Squirrel Flower, Eliza McLamb, Shalom and Mamalarky, announced they were pulling out of the festival. “I’m leaving specifically because of the fact that SXSW is providing platforms to defense contractors, including Raytheon subsidiaries, as well as the US military, a major sponsor of the festival,” wrote Squirrel Flower’s Ella Williams in instagram. He also expressed the support of the Palestinian people.
Around 60 artists in total have withdrawn from the festival, according to Austin Coalition for Palestine (APC), an organization that supports the boycott of the festival.
“Austin remains the headquarters of the Army Futures Command,” Abbott wrote in his X post. “San Antonio is America’s military city. We are proud of the US military in Texas. If you don’t like it, don’t come here.” Included a link to an article by The hill which highlighted some of the artists who have broken ties with the festival.
In response, South by Southwest organizers wrote that they “fully respect the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free expression.” They also defended the Army’s sponsorship role in the festival. “The defense industry has historically been a testing ground for many of the systems we rely on today,” they wrote. “These institutions are often leaders in emerging technologies and we believe it is best to understand how their approach will impact our lives. The Army’s sponsorship is part of our commitment to presenting ideas that shape our world. As for Collins Aerospace, they participated this year as a sponsor of two SXSW Pitch categories, giving entrepreneurs visibility and funding for potentially game-changing work.”
They also acknowledged the conflict between Israel and Hamas without taking sides. “We have supported and will continue to support human rights for all,” they wrote. “The situation in the Middle East is tragic and highlights the growing importance of standing united against injustice.”
The APC formed last fall to protest South by Southwest’s partnerships with defense contractor RTX, also known as Raytheon, and its subsidiary, Collins Aerospace, and associate BAE Systems. The organization claims that all of these companies have manufactured implements of war used in Israel’s attacks against Palestinian territories.
“To our knowledge, BAE Systems has no plans to participate in SxSW this year, however, we respect everyone’s right to peacefully protest,” says a company spokesperson, Tim Paynter. Rolling Stone.
Representatives from APC, RTX and Collins Aerospace did not respond to rolling rocks requests for comments.
Last month, South by Southwest issued a cease and desist to APC for using its logo, according to The Austin Chronicle. “SXSW supports the constitutionally protected right to free speech and, as always, you are permitted to reference our SXSW Marks in a factual or editorial manner,” she wrote. “However, as a trademark and copyright owner, we have an obligation to protect the goodwill and reputation associated with the SXSW marks and copyrighted art by preventing their unauthorized use… In the event If you do not comply with our request, we reserve our rights to take appropriate measures to protect our trademarks and copyrights.
Full disclosure: in 2021, rolling rocks Parent company P-MRC acquired a 50 percent stake in the SXSW festival.
This article was updated at 6:45 pm on March 12 to include a statement from BAE Systems.