A growing number of bands are pulling out of the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin to protest the U.S. Army鈥檚 sponsorship of the event.
The UK indie band Lambrini Girls , 鈥淲e can鈥檛 affiliate ourselves whatsoever with SXSW. Without our solidarity becoming totally inauthentic.鈥�
Other bands pulling out for the same reason include Ireland鈥檚 Kneecap and Chalk, and American musician Ella Williams, who goes by Squirrel Flower.
The U.S. has been a key supplier of military aid to Israel after the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, when , most of them civilians. Since Israel declared war on Hamas, have been killed in Gaza.
The protests have caught the attention of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. 鈥淏ye. Don鈥檛 Come Back,鈥� posted Tuesday on X.
Festival organizers saying, 鈥淪XSW does not agree with Governor Abbott.鈥� However, organizers defended the Army sponsorship, stating it was 鈥減art of our commitment to bring forward ideas that shape our world.鈥�
They wrote on X that SXSW 鈥渨elcomes diverse viewpoints鈥� and 鈥渨ill continue to support human rights for all.鈥�
The annual SXSW festival runs from March 8-16 this year. Over 300,000 attendees typically come to the festival, and more than 1,500 musical acts performed last year.
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