A number of musicians have pulled out of their official showcases at this year’s South by Southwest festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. They’ve done so because of the event’s ties to defense contractors and the U.S. Army.
It started with songwriter Ella Williams, a.k.a. Squirrel Flower, who was made aware of the connections through a social media post by Austin for Palestine Coalition. A number of musicians have since followed suit, including emo band Proper, indie band Mamalarky and singer-songwriter Eliza McLamb. The U.S. Army is presenting more than nine events at SXSW this year and is listed as a “super sponsor.” RTX Corporation, formerly known as Raytheon, and L3Harris are among the defense contractors with a presence at the event.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to provide a more nuanced portrait of the events described.
