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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Entertainment
Al Jazeera Staff

Artists and speakers protest SXSW festival over defence sponsors, Gaza war

Haitian American rapper Wyclef Jean performs at the 2022 SXSW festival in Austin, Texas [Montinique Monroe/AP Photo]

Dozens of acts scheduled to appear at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in the United States have withdrawn in an act of protest against sponsors with ties to Israel’s war in Gaza.

As of Wednesday, at least 80 artists and panellists have pulled out of the nine-day festival, citing the involvement of several weapons companies and agencies tied to the US Department of Defense, according to the Austin for Palestine Coalition, which helped organise the protest.

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