Gavin James and Belfast rappers Kneecap pull out of US festival due to army links ‘in solidarity with Palestine’

The Irish singer published a statement on his Instagram where he said he “will not be performing or traveling to SXSW this week”.

"Music & art should always stand on the side of peace and humanity,” James wrote on social media.

"I will never support any event that is associated with weapons of war. For anyone who may have planned to attend my shows, I hope to see you later in the year,” he added.

The annual event, which includes sections on music, film and technology, draws several hundred thousand participants over the course of a little more than a week.

Multiple other musicians that were also due to play at the festival have too withdrawn their participation in reaction to its links with the American military and corporate arms makers.

The controversial hip hop trio Kneecap were also due to travel to Texas for the SXSW (South By Southwest) festival in the coming days.

However, on Sunday, the group posted on social media that they “cannot in good conscience attend an arts festival that has ‘The U.S Army’ as a ‘Super Sponsor’ and is platforming RTX (formerly Raytheon), Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems, the very companies selling the weapons that have murdered 31,000 Palestinians, over 21,000 of them women and children”.

Kneecap further stated: “We have made the decision to cancel our three shows at SXSW and not travel to Austin as planned on Tuesday.

“It is done in solidarity with the people of Palestine and to highlight the unacceptable deep links the festival has to weapons companies and the US military who at this very moment are enabling a genocide and famine against a trapped population.”

Kneecap had been due to perform at the SXSW event following their recent US TV debut appearance on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last Friday.

The Belfast Telegraph has contacted SXSW organisers for further comment.

According to The Guardian, the “US army is listed as a ‘super sponsor’ of this year’s festival, and is presenting more than nine events, while Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of RTX [the billion-dollar defense contractor, formerly known as Raytheon], is sponsoring two events at SXSW Pitch, the festival’s tech showcase.”