Download, Latitude, & Isle Of Wight Festivals Drop Barclays Sponsorship After Bands Boycott
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Barclays is suspending its sponsorship of all Live Nation UK festivals — including Download, Latitude, and Isle Of Wight — in response to a boycott from bands and fans protesting the British bank providing financial services to defense contractors supplying military weaponry to Israel. As The Guardian reports, Barclays signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Live Nation last year, but for 2024 their investment in the fests has been paused. The suspension of the deal does not apply to the entire contract.
On Monday, the hardcore bands Scowl, Pest Control, Zulu, and Speed dropped off the Download lineup in protest of Barclays’ involvement. Pest Control, the first band to drop off, wrote, “We will not take part in an event whose sponsor profits from facilitating a genocide.” As the week progressed, Latitude performers such as Lankum and Beak> signed a letter protesting Barclays and threatening to pull out if the fest did not disassociate from the bank. Today, the Bands Boycott Barclays Instagram account confirmed that all mention of Barclays had been scrubbed from the Live Nation festival websites.
Barclays offered a statement to The Guardian complaining that their staff had been harassed and intimidated, affirming that the company will continue to do business with defense contractors, and asserting, “The only thing that this small group of activists will achieve is to weaken essential support for cultural events enjoyed by millions.” Here’s that statement in full:
Barclays was asked and has agreed to suspend participation in the remaining Live Nation festivals in 2024. Barclays customers who hold tickets to these festivals are not affected and their tickets remain valid. The protesters’ agenda is to have Barclays debank defence companies which is a sector we remain committed to as an essential part of keeping this country and our allies safe.
They have resorted to intimidating our staff, repeated vandalism of our branches and online harassment. The only thing that this small group of activists will achieve is to weaken essential support for cultural events enjoyed by millions. It is time that leaders across politics, business, academia and the arts stand united against this.
Barclays also shared this statement online clarifying their financial involvement with defense contractors:
We have been asked why we invest in nine defence companies supplying Israel, but this mistakes what we do. We trade in shares of listed companies in response to client instruction or demand and that may result in us holding shares. Whilst we provide financial services to these companies, we are not making investments for Barclays and Barclays is not a “shareholder” or “investor” in that sense in relation to these companies.
Meanwhile the Bands Boycott Barclays movement posted on Instagram, “This is the power of solidarity, collective action and the dedicated global commitment to do all we can for Palestinian liberation.” The group offered this statement to The Guardian:
This is a victory for the Palestinian-led global BDS movement. As musicians, we were horrified that our music festivals were partnered with Barclays, who are complicit in the genocide in Gaza through investment, loans and underwriting of arms companies supplying the Israeli military. Hundreds of artists have taken action this summer to make it clear that this is morally reprehensible, and we are glad we have been heard.
Our demand to Barclays is simple: divest from the genocide, or face further boycotts. Boycotting Barclays, also Europe’s primary funder of fossil fuels, is the minimum we can do to call for change.
Download Festival begins today in Donington Park in Leicestershire, UK. Isle Of Wight follows next weekend, while Latitude takes place in late July. See the Bands Boycott Barclays’ celebratory posts below.
