SXSW Drops US Army as Sponsor After Backlash Over Israel Ties From Pro-Palestinian Supporters

Over 80 musical acts dropped out of the SXSW 2024 festival in March “in solidarity with Palestine,” according to the Austin for Palestine coalition. They boycotted the festival because of its partnership with the US military and weapons manufacturing companies that, the group claims, has supplied weapons used by Israel against Palestinians. The US Army was a “super sponsor” of SXSW 2024 while the Defense Department, and the defense contractors RTX (formerly Raytheon), Collins Aerospace, and BAE systems were all sponsors of the festival.

The performers who pulled out of SXSW 2024 included the Ireland-based rap trio Kneecap, British band Lambrini Girls, American punk band Scowl, Brooklyn-based artist Okay Shalom, North Carolina-based singer-songwriter Eliza McLamb, Chicago-based musician Squirrel Flower, Brooklyn-based emo band Proper, and the Los Angeles-based indie band Mamalarky.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott reacted to the bands and musicians who decided to boycott SXSW 2024 because of the US Army’s sponsorship by telling them, “Don’t come back.”

“Austin remains the HQ for the Army Futures Command,” he wrote on social media in March. “San Antonio is Military City USA. We are proud of the US military in Texas. If you don’t like it, don’t come here.”

SXSW tried to distance itself from Abbott’s response by releasing its own statement that said, “SXSW does not agree with Governor Abbott.”

“We are an organization that welcomes diverse viewpoints,” the statement noted. “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. Across the globe, we are witnessing unspeakable tragedies, the rise of repressive regimes, and the increasing spread of violent conflict. It’s more crucial than ever that we come together to solve these greater humanitarian issues.”

Festival organizers also explained its partnership with defense contractors. They said that the defense industry “has historically been a proving ground for many of the systems we rely on today. These institutions are often leaders in emerging technologies, and we believe it’s better to understand how their approach will impact our lives.”