SXSW cuts ties with US Army and weapons manufacturers after artists boycott

SXSW haș cut ties with the US Army and weapons contractors after more than 80 artists boycotted 2024’s gathering in Austin, Texas.

Organisers of the week-long culture and technology festival confirmed they were cutting ties with the US Department of Defense, listed this year as a major sponsor, and Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of weapons giant RTX Corporation, formerly Raytheon.

“After careful consideration, we are revising our sponsorship model. As a result, the US Army, and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing, will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025,” the statement read. 

Chicago-based songwriter Squirrel Flower, AKA Ella Williams, has been credited with kick-starting the boycott campaign in support of Palestine amid Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza. She was followed by scores more artists, including North Carolina vocalist Eliza McLamb and Noor Khan of Mamalarky. An announcement was also made that all Irish bands had cancelled in aid of the boycott, including Belfast hip-hop group, Kneecap.

“I have decided to pull out of my official SXSW showcase in protest of SXSW’s ties to the defence industry and in support of the Palestinian people”, said Flower. “Genocide profiteers like Raytheon supply weapons to the IDF, paid for by our taxes… I refuse to be complicit in this and withdraw my art and labour in protest.”

“These defence contractors make the weapons that the IDF uses to bomb Gaza. The IDF has now killed at least one in every 75 inhabitants of Gaza, [and] I refuse to be complicit in that,” she continued. “I don’t believe that a music festival should include profiteers of war – I believe that art is a tool to create a better world and has no place alongside warmongers.” 

Founded in 1987, SXSW (South-by-Southwest) is considered one of the world’s foremost cultural events, with a programme that has expanded from film and music to encompass multidisciplinary art, marketing and tech. However, the event has come under increasing fire for its links to big business including arms, fossil fuel and automotive industries. 

Prior to the artist boycotts, the Austin for Palestine Coalition issued a statement asking organisers to reconsider partnerships with a number of sponsors, including the US Department of Defense and companies involved in the supply of weapons to Israel, challenging the event to “retain its credibility” by “disavowing the normalisation and militarisation within tech and entertainment.” 

The cancelled contracts have been dubbed a victory for the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). Earlier this month, a number of music collectives pledged their support for these movements, including Dark Entries, Techno Queers, Dweller, Noise Not Music, Night Slugs, 8 Ball Community, and FIST.