Squirrel Flower And More Artists Pull Out Of SXSW: “A Music Festival Should Not Include War Profiteers”
Alexa Viscius
Squirrel Flower has pulled out of this year’s SXSW festival “in protest of SXSW’s ties to the defense industry and in support of the Palestinian people,” the project’s leader Ella Williams wrote in a statement posted on social media. Squirrel Flower was scheduled to perform at official showcases on March 12 and 14; they will still perform at unofficial showcases that will take place in Austin with no ties to SXSW.
“There are many ways SXSW is harmful to working musicians, but I am pulling out specifically because of the fact that SXSW is platforming defense contractors including Raytheon subsidiaries as well as the US Army, a main sponsor of the festival,” Williams continued.
The US Army is a recurring exhibitor at the event, and Collins Aerospace — a subsidiary of RTX Corporation, formerly Raytheon — is a participant this year as well.
Squirrel Flower’s statement continued:
The IDF has now killed at least 1 in every 75 inhabitants of Gaza, including 12,300 children. The International Court of Justice has ruled that this plausibly amounts to genocide.
Genocide profiteers like Raytheon supply weapons to the IDF, paid for by our taxes. A music festival should not include war profiteers. I refuse to be complicit in this and withdraw my art and labor in protest.
I will still be playing unofficial showcases, and I encourage them all to take a vocal stand against SXSW. I encourage my fellow musicians to do the same.
Last week, the local organization Austin For Palestine Coalition launched an initiative calling on SXSW to remove RTX, Collins Aerospace, and the British defense contractor 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.”
UPDATE: Eliza McLamb, Shalom, and Mamalarky have dropped off SXSW as well.
McLamb writes:
“I have pulled out of my official SXSW showcase after learning that the US Army is a major sponsor of the even. I will never put my name on or perform my labor for an event in service of the US war machine, and especially not now as they continue to fuel the ongoing violence against Palestinians. Blood money has no place in music.”
Shalom has shared this message:
hi hi. i will stand on anti apartheid business until i d*e and that’s just the way it is. thank you @sqrrlflwr & @elizamclamb for holding fast to your morals and for inspiring me to do the same.
in solidarity with the pǎlestinån people, i will not be participating in my official @sxsw showcase. i will not dance for the war machine.
And Mamalarky adds:
Hi 🤍 we have decided to drop our 2 official SXSW shows.
As you might’ve heard, SXSW is sponsored by the US army, a direct supporter of the genocide of the Palestinian people-> see @sqrrlflwr @okayshalom posts ❣️ thank u for encouraging us + others to revoke our sets.
In remembering the 30,000+ Palestinians, many of whom having lost their lives to American weapons, in remembering active military member Aaron Bushnell who was moved to self immolate in protest of this ongoing genocide-this is a very easy decision to make.
We will still perform shows that u can attend outside of sxsw SANS WRISTBAND 💚
Merce Lemon has dropped out of official SXSW events as well, writing:
i am pulling out of my official SXSW showcases in solidarity with Palestine. in the words of ella ( @sqrrlflwr )“i am pulling out specifically because SXSW is platforming defense contractors including Raytheon subsidiaries as well as the US army, a main sponsor of the festival.”
i refuse to be free advertising for an event that is directly tied to the genocide of Palestinian peoples.
thank you to the artists who have spoken out about this and paved the way for others to follow. i will still be playing my unofficial showcases.
