3 hours ago
Kneecap are a hip-hop trio from Belfast with the stage names Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí
Belfast band Kneecap have withdrawn from the South by Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) in Texas due to the US Army’s sponsorship of the festival.
The group is the latest to cancel an event to protest the military’s support for Israel in the Gaza war.
Other artists who have announced they will not perform include Lambrini Girls, Scowl and Sprints.
BBC Newsbeat has contacted festival organizers for comment.
The festival, which runs through March 16 in Austin, celebrates film, comedy and music and attracts more than 300,000 viewers each year.
In a statement shared on social media, Kneecap said it was canceling three performances at the festival “in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
The trio said they did so to highlight “unacceptable” ties between the military and SXSW, which lists the Army as a “super sponsor” on its website.
They said they “could not in good conscience” attend the event, despite the “significant financial impact” that pulling out would have on the band.
But they said it was incomparable to the “unimaginable suffering” in Gaza.
Image Source, Getty Images
SXSW is held annually in Austin, Texas
Israel launched a war in the Gaza Strip on October 7 after Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip and is labeled a terrorist organization by the British government, attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking another 253 hostage. action.
Since then, more than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The United States is Israel’s largest military supporter, providing billions of dollars in defense aid each year, and many of the weapons used by Israel in the conflict, including jets and bombs, are American-made.
They said their last-minute decision came as they were looking for a way to keep their “ethics intact without having to pay back thousands of pounds”.
“This is indeed impossible. The money must be repaid and we cannot have any connection with SXSW,” they wrote.
Both bands said they considered other options to show support for Gaza, including protesting on stage or performing at unofficial events, but ultimately decided against doing so.
Other bands to quit include the Sprints, Scowl, Gel, Okay Shalom and Squirrel Flower.
New York-based singer-songwriter Okay Shalom posted on Instagram that the decision “put a price on a dream” but that it was “the right thing to do.”
Indie rocker Squirrel Flower says she will withdraw her “art and labor in protest” but will still perform unofficial performances.
U.S. troops are also playing a role in humanitarian efforts in Gaza, where the United Nations has warned that famine is “almost inevitable” and that children are starving to death.
On Saturday, the United States sent a warship to deliver supplies at the dock to deliver food and supplies to Gaza. The United States also airdropped more than 11,000 meals.
The U.S. Army told Newsbeat in a statement, “It is an honor to be a sponsor of SXSW and have the opportunity to showcase the U.S. Army… explore new ideas and insights, and build dynamic industry partnerships.”
SXSW has not yet responded to BBC Newsbeat’s request for comment.
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