Joanne McNally and Alexandra Haddow lead comedians boycotting Latitude 2024 over Barclays sponsorship

Comedians Joanne McNally and Alexandra Haddow are the most recent names who’re boycotting Latitude 2024 because of the pageant’s sponsorship with Barclays and its ties to Israel.

They’re the 2 main names in relation to the comedians who’re boycotting this yr’s version of the occasion, and comply with quite a few musical acts who’re refusing to carry out whereas it’s nonetheless sponsored by the financial institution.

Joanne McNally introduced her withdrawal from the pageant final week, when she shared an replace on-line. She was set to shut the comedy tent at Latitude 2024, which will probably be held at Henham Park in Suffolk between July 25 and 28.

“I’m getting messages at the moment about me acting at Latitude when it’s being sponsored by Barclays,” she started on Instagram (through Goss.ie). “I’m not doing Latitude. I used to be as a result of shut the comedy tent on the Sunday evening however I pulled out final week.

“I’m on the previous paintings however I haven’t been listed on the location since I pulled out per week in the past.”

Fellow comic Alexandra Haddow has additionally withdrawn, and brought to social media to elucidate that the choice is available in solidarity with Palestine.

“I used to be booked to host the comedy stage on the Sunday at Latitude Competition this yr however have determined to tug out as a result of Barclays being the Official sponsor. They’re on the BDS official boycott checklist and I can’t in good conscience take the charge,” the assertion started.

“Barclays have elevated their funding to a number of firms who’re facilitating weapons & know-how used within the genocide in Palestine because the warfare began and this is without doubt one of the solely issues I can actively do.”

Haddow continued: “I used to be so wanting ahead to taking part in the pageant and hope to take action sooner or later – it all the time seems to be like a lot enjoyable. Solidarity with each artist taking a stand regardless of shedding the a lot wanted charge and audiences. Hopefully see you at Latitude sooner or later.”

Headliners for the 2024 version embody Duran Duran, Kasabian, Keane and London Grammar.

The information that the 2 comedians can be boycotting Latitude comes simply days after Irish singer-songwriter CMAT introduced that she had pulled out of the occasion as a result of ties to Barclays.

Taking to Instagram, CMAT wrote: “It’s possible you’ll or is probably not conscious, however Latitude’s most important sponsor is Barclays financial institution, who’ve been revealed to have elevated their financing of varied firms who’re supplying weapons and army know-how to Israel.

“Particularly, it has invested over £100 Million into Common Dynamics which gives gun methods to the fighter jets that are being utilized by Israel to bombard Gaza.

“I can’t permit my valuable work, my music, which I really like a lot, to get into mattress with violence. Myself, and the complete CMAT touring crew who I really like a lot, refuse to be complicit in genocide.”

She continued: “Let me be clear. There’s a genocide taking place in Palestine proper now. All I can do as a citizen is flip as much as as many demonstrations as attainable and attempt to comply with the recommendation of the BDS boycott checklist as intently as I probably can.

“This falls beneath that motion. I hope that as lots of you studying this as attainable will select to indicate your solidarity with the Palestinian individuals in no matter manner you may.”

She adopted Pillow Queens, who turned the primary band to boycott this yr’s Latitude over its sponsorship with the financial institution.

Since then, each Mui Zyu and Georgia Ruth turned the most recent musicians to tug out of the pageant for a similar causes.

Zyu shared a press release on her official Instagram account, explaining her choice to boycott Latitude was as a result of Barclays “are persevering with to revenue from the genocide in Palestine”.

Ruth additionally took to her Instagram account to elucidate her choice, including that she felt “​​impressed by the efficient boycott of Hay Competition this week by taking part authors, which led on to Baillie Gifford being dropped as most important sponsor.”

“We are able to make a distinction; festivals could make significant change. I urge Latitude to chop monetary ties with Barclaycard,” she added.

The announcement of the 2 comedians pulling out of Latitude comes shortly after the foremost boycott of The Nice Escape in Brighton final month, additionally as a result of its ties with Barclays. Over 100 acts dropped out of this yr’s Nice Escape Competition in solidarity with Palestine – constituting roughly 1 / 4 of the total programme.

Talking to NME about their choice to tug out of The Nice Escape, Massive Scary Monsters founder Kevin Douch stated: “Truthfully, for us it was a simple choice. We spoke to our bands and defined our place, requested them what they needed to do and it was unanimous that we’d all pull out. It’s been superior seeing so many individuals getting behind this. There are sufficient voices now to make Reside Nation hear and hopefully take away Barclays as a sponsor.”

In response to artists withdrawing, a Barclays spokesperson shared a press release that learn: “We offer important monetary providers to US, UK and European public firms that offer defence merchandise to NATO and its allies.

“Barclays doesn’t immediately spend money on these firms. The defence sector is key to our nationwide safety and the UK authorities has been clear that supporting defence firms is suitable with ESG concerns. Choices on the implementation of arms embargos to different nations are the job of respective elected governments.”

The Nice Escape walkout additionally got here after many artists refusing to play at SXSW Competition in Austin, Texas in March due to the occasion’s connections to the US Military and weapons firms amid the Israel-Gaza battle. These included Gruff Rhys, Kneecap, Sprints, Lambrini Women, Gel, Rachel Chinouriri, Cardinals and NewDad.

SXSW responded to the cancellations in a press release: “We’re an organisation that welcomes numerous viewpoints. Music is the soul of SXSW, and it has lengthy been our legacy. We absolutely respect the choice these artists made to train their proper to free speech.”

Explaining its sponsorship with the US Military, SXSW wrote: “The defence business has traditionally been a proving floor for lots of the methods we depend on at the moment. These establishments are sometimes leaders in rising applied sciences, and we imagine it’s higher to know how their method will affect our lives.”

Latitude isn’t the one upcoming pageant that has seen boycotts as a result of connections to Barclays. Final evening (June 10) it was reported that Scowl, Pace and Zulu had change into the most recent bands to tug out of Obtain 2024 over its partnership with the financial institution.

The primary artist to drop out of the upcoming 2024 version, which is able to happen over the weekend, was Leeds hardcore band Pest Management who introduced they’d be pulling out as they’d not “participate in an occasion whose sponsor income from facilitating a genocide”.