11 artists join Field Day boycott over KKR ownership in solidarity with Palestine

More than 10 artists have joined the boycott of Field Day out of solidarity with Palestine.

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It comes just weeks after reports emerged that more than 50 artists – including Massive Attack and Brian Eno –  signed an open letter to the festival urging it to distance itself from global investment firm KKR. 

This is because it is the parent company of Superstruct Entertainment, which includes stakes in weapons manufacturing companies, the Coastal GasLink pipeline, and multiple Israeli corporations that operate in occupied Palestinian territories (via MixMag).

“We are a coalition of artists… who come together to stand against Israel’s genocide in Gaza and to stand for all rights of the Palestinian people under international law,” explained the open letter.

“KKR invests billions of pounds in companies which, for example, develop Israeli underground data centres, and advertise real estate on illegally occupied land in Israeli settlements in the West Bank,” it continued. “While we understand that this acquisition was not the choice of Field Day, it nonetheless means that the festival is now implicated in the crimes against humanity of apartheid and genocide.”

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Now, 11 new artists have pulled out of this year’s Field Day in solidarity with the boycott. These include ex.sses, Malissa, Ariana V, inda flo, Calaida, GUYZ, Jezebelle, ŌKAMI, Chickie, izzy., and Moontalk.

Also joining the boycott is Sisu Crew, which stated: “The festival has made clear that it is not going to take action against its complicity, and the SISU DJs booked to play on SISU’s stage are withdrawing their energy and putting it elsewhere.”

On Monday (May 12), it was also reported that others joining the boycott included groups like Queers for Palestine, Cultural Workers Against Genocide (CWAG), and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

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For the latter, they shared a statement saying that they were “disappointed” by the festival’s lack of response to the letter, “which was an invitation to take accountability for its complicity in the genocidal implications of its ownership through its parent company, Superstruct, and KKR.”

It also called for artists, workers and festival goers to join the boycott and “acknowledge the human rights atrocities enacted against Palestinians, which include systemic displacement, military violence, and forced starvation.” You can find the full post above.

Field Day isn’t the only event being called upon to show more support for Palestine. Towards the start of the year, Boiler Room – which has the same owners as Field Day – shared a statement reaffirming its “unapologetically pro-Palestine” stance after some artists dropped out of events due to its ties to KKR (via DJ Mag).

Superstruct Entertainment, which is owned by KKR, is also behind more than 80 events across Europe including Sziget and Brunch Electronik.

NME has reached out to Field Day for comment.

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