The South by Southwest festival, which dozens of artists withdrew from this year to protest its sponsorship by the U.S. Army and defense contractors in light of their ties to Israel, announced this week that it would no longer accept their support.
“After careful consideration, we are revising our sponsorship model,” the festival, which is held each year in Austin, Texas, said in a brief statement on its website.
“As a result, the U.S. Army, and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing, will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025.”No further details were offered, and SXSW declined to elaborate on the statement.
“We look forward to a chance to work together in the future,” said Lt. Col. Jamie Dobson, the public affairs officer at the Army Futures Command in Austin, which works on technology and innovation.
And we were very proud of the partnership we had this past year.”
Persons:
“, ”, Jamie Dobson, A.F.C, It’s
Organizations:
Southwest, U.S . Army, SXSW, Austin for Palestine Coalition, Army, Army Futures Command
Locations:
Israel, Austin , Texas, Austin, Palestine