Austin For Palestine Coalition is an advocacy group that has organized protests on the site of SXSW events and supported artists who have chosen to pull out of official showcases.
“War Profiteers and Warmongers Out of SXSW,” reads a slogan on the Feb. 21 Instagram post announcing their initiative to boycott the event. “No Platform For Genocide in Austin!”
Their grievances with the annual festival and conference stem from its ties to both the U.S. Army and defense contractors such as the RTX Corp. (formerly known as Raytheon), which they condemn for “supplying arms to Israel for its genocide against the Palestinian people.”
The Army is listed as a “super sponsor” of the event, the top tier of sponsorship, which the SXSW website describes as “deliver[ing] the highest visibility possible, the deepest integration opportunities, and provid[ing] seamless promotional exposure by aligning your brand with SXSW as a top promotional partner across the entire event.”
The Army is also presenting nine events over the course of the event. RTX’s subsidiary, Collins Aerospace, is sponsoring two events at the festival’s tech showcase.
On Monday, Austin For Palestine received a cease-and-desist letter from SXSW, citing copyright infringement for the group’s use of the festival's logo. This follows two instances of the group's Instagram account being suspended because of similar claims last week.
“SXSW supports the constitutionally protected right of free speech and, as always, you are permitted to refer to our SXSW Marks in a factual or editorial manner," the letter reads. "However, as a trademark and copyright owner, we have an obligation to protect the goodwill and reputation associated with the SXSW Marks and copyright protected art by preventing their unauthorized use."
Chicago-based indie rock act Squirrel Flower (a project led by Ella Williams) kickstarted the wave of artists pulling out of official showcases with a statement released on Instagram on March 5.
“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,” Williams wrote. “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.”
Since then, dozens of artists and speakers have followed suit, including Fort Worth rock band Trauma Ray. Their brief Instagram statement included updated info on other upcoming shows, a call to look to Austin For Palestine Coalition for more information and the phrase “Free Palestine.”
In a statement to the Observer, Trauma Ray guitarist Jonathan Perez says that the group learned of SXSW’s military ties after seeing Squirrel Flower’s post and immediately felt like it conflicted with their values.
“As individuals and collectively as a band, we support all oppressed communities, whether that’s at home in Texas or in Palestine,” Perez says. “The idea of playing shows sponsored by or affiliated with the U.S. military or their private contractors, who are directly providing the bombs that are killing innocent Palestinians in Gaza right now, is 100% against what we stand for as a band. If dropping shows or making Instagram posts helps spread information or inspire other bands to do the same, that’s the very least we can do.”
Perez says that Trauma Ray did not receive a direct response from SXSW regarding their cancellation.
Other participants who have pulled out of the event have also made it clear that they understand why others chose not to and emphasize that no anger or judgment is directed at them.
“This was a decision that I was able to fully commit to because in the current situation of my life, this gig is not important to my survival,” Austin-based DJ and producer Lucia Beyond wrote in a follow-up to her announcement that she had dropped out of the festival. “Also, I had opted a while ago to receive a wristband instead of a fee.”
Others have pointed out that international artists’ visas are contingent on their employment by SXSW, putting them in a situation where they don’t have the option of dropping out.
Alternative events are springing up to replace canceled SXSW sets. Artists who were in Austin for the festival are keeping their engagements with unofficial showcases. Smash by Smash West, an inaugural anticapitalist counter-summit focusing on community action and resistance, has absorbed anti-SXSW shows happening in Austin this week under its umbrella.
Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios in Denton put out an open call on Monday for artists who had dropped out of SXSW for ethical reasons to reach out and book a show with them instead.
“They’re doing the right thing, I believe,” Rubber Gloves general manager Chad Withers tells the Observer. “I wanted to give them an opportunity to still be able to play in Texas.”
Withers says he’s received several emails responding to his post and is in the early stages of booking.
On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted a statement regarding the artists who pulled out of SXSW, noting his pride toward the military presence in Texas and sending a direct message to the artists involved: "Bye. Don't come back."
(Abbott's tweets seem to imply that those who oppose the sponsor are coming to the festival from outside of Texas. This is largely not the case.)
SXSW broke their silence on the matter by posting a screenshot of Gov. Abbott's tweet to Instagram as well as their response.
"We are an organization that welcomes diverse viewpoints," the statement reads, "Music is the soul of SXSW, and it has long been our legacy. We fully respect the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech."
The statement goes on to express support for humanitarian causes and also defend the event's inclusion of military and defense sponsors:
"The defense industry has historically been a proving ground for many of the systems we rely on today. These institutions are often leaders in emerging technologies, and we believe it's better to understand how their approach will impact our lives."
SXSW and RTX Corp. did not respond to our request for comment. Squirrel Flower declined to expand on its original statement.
