Kneecap and Sprints be part of record of artists boycotting SXSW 2024

Kneecap and Sprints are the most recent artists to announce their withdrawal from this yr’s South By Southwest Competition in solidarity with Palestine.

• READ MORE: SXSW 2023: probably the most thrilling artists we caught on the Austin pageant

The Irish artists be part of the likes of Lambrini Ladies, Scowl, Gel, Okay Shalom and Squirrelflower in pulling out of performing on the pageant because of the occasion’s affiliation with the US military and weapons corporations amid the Israel-Palestine battle.

The annual music, tradition and humanities showcase takes place in Austin, Texas from March 12-14.

Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap shared in a press release yesterday (March 10) that their determination to not carry out was made “in solidarity with the individuals of Palestine”.

In addition they highlighted the “unacceptable deep hyperlinks” the pageant needed to the US military – which is a “super sponsor” of the event – and defence contractor RTX Company, which has provided weapons to Israel.

The group added that the US army and different platformed weapons corporations who’re “at this very second are enabling a genocide and famine in opposition to a trapped inhabitants”.

The band continued that their determination would have a “important monetary impression” on them, however that it wasn’t “an iota of hardship compared with the unimaginable struggling being inflicted each minute of every single day on the individuals of Gaza”.

Kneecap additionally cited the platforming of collins Aerospace and BAE Techniques as a cause for his or her boycott, including that collectively with RTX, the businesses have been promoting the weapons which have “murdered 31,000 Palestinians, over 21,000 of them girls and youngsters”.

Sprints made their very own statement this morning (March 11) by which they introduced their withdrawal, writing: “In solidarity with the Palestinian individuals and as a stand in opposition to the US Military sponsorship and Defence contractor involvement on this yr’s pageant, we are going to not be acting at SXSW or collaborating in any official SXSW showcases or exhibits.

“The withdrawals observe Lambrini Ladies’ personal assertion, who mentioned they “can’t affiliate ourselves by any means” with the occasion.

“For transparency, the rationale it’s taken us just a few days to drag out the pageant is as a result of we obtained funding from PRS Basis to play,” they wrote.

“We have been looking for a strategy to out of the state of affairs while protecting our ethical integrity in tact and never having to repay hundreds of kilos on the similar time.”

“That basically simply isn’t doable. Cash must be repaid and we will’t affiliate ourselves by any means with SXSW. With out our solidarity changing into completely inauthentic.”

“We have been contemplating going to the pageant and protesting on stage, however there isn’t a approach to try this doesn’t really feel performative or inherently exploitative.”

Scowl and Gel pulled out earlier than that, with the previous writing: “We refuse to be complicit within the face of genocide in Palestine. We refuse to take part within the struggle machine.”