SXSW, the celebrated music, film and tech festival celebrating emerging talent, has announced that the US Army and aerospace/defense company RTX Corporation will not be among the sponsors for next year's staging of the festival.
Earlier this year, a significant number of musical artists - including US hardcore bands Scowl and Gel, Brighton punks Lambrini Girls and every Irish artist playing official showcases - withdrew from the South By Southwest event due to the US military and weapons manufacturers being key sponsors of the festival, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Announcing their intention to boycott the event, in solidarity with the people of Palestine, Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap stated at the time that their decision was taken to “highlight the unacceptable deep links the festival has to weapons companies and the U.S. military who at this very moment are enabling a genocide and famine against a trapped population.”
