AUSTIN, Texas — After more bands announced they were dropping out of South by Southwest over the U.S. Army’s sponsorship of the event, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded by telling them “Bye. Don’t come back.”

What You Need To Know

  • Artists Shalom, Mamalarky and Squirrel Flower pulled out of SXSW’s music festival last week, and since then, more bands have joined them in boycotting the event due to its connection to the U.S. Army and other military contractors including Collins Aerospace, BAE Systems and RTX

  • The growing list of bands pulling out sparked national news coverage, which got the attention of Abbott, who posted an article from The Hill along with a caption that told the bands to not come to Texas

  • The governor’s post was seen by SXSW officials, who responded to the tweet on SXSW’s official X account by saying they do not agree with Abbott

  • Festival officials went on to say that their partnership with the U.S. Army is part of SXSW’s “commitment to bring forward ideas that shape our world”

Artists Shalom, Mamalarky and Squirrel Flower pulled out of SXSW’s music festival last week, and since then, more bands have joined them in boycotting the event due to its connection to the U.S. Army and other military contractors including Collins Aerospace, BAE Systems and RTX, formerly Raytheon. 

Kneecap, an Irish hip-hop trio, posted on X, formerly Twitter, that they were canceling their three shows at SXSW “in solidarity with the people of Palenstine and to highlight the unacceptable deep links the festival has to weapons companies and the U.S. military who at this very moment are enabling a genocide and famine against a trapped population.”

The Lambrini Girls also posted that they were pulling out of the festival on X, saying, “we can’t affiliate ourselves whatsoever with SXSW.”

The growing list of bands pulling out sparked national news coverage, which got the attention of Abbott, who posted an article from The Hill along with a caption that told the bands to not come to Texas.  

“We are proud of the U.S. military in Texas,” Abbott said. “If you don’t like, don’t come here.”

The governor’s post was seen by SXSW officials, who responded to the tweet on SXSW’s official X account by saying they do not agree with Abbott. 

“We are an organization that welcomes diverse viewpoints. Music is the soul of SXSW, and it has long been our legacy,” the post said. “We fully respect the decision of these artists made to exercise their right to free speech.”

Festival officials went on to say that their partnership with the U.S. Army is part of SXSW’s “commitment to bring forward ideas that shape our world.” 

“The defense industry has historically been a proving ground for many of the systems we rely on today,” the post said. “These institutions are often leaders in emerging technologies, and we believe it’s better to understand how their approach will impact our lives.” 

The post also mentioned festival officials’ reasoning behind including Collins Aerospace in this year’s event. The aerospace defense company was included as a sponsor of two SXSW Pitch categories.

The thread ended with the statement, “We have and will continue to support human rights for all. The situation in the Middle East is tragic, and it illuminates the heightened importance of standing together against injustice.”

President Joe Biden announced last week that he ordered the building of a temporary aid port on Gaza’s coast to help deliver food and other aid to Palestine, as the U.N. estimates that 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza are facing near-famine conditions. An aid ship from Cyprus has separately started its journey to Gaza on Tuesday with some 200 tons of food and is expected to reach the war-torn area in two to three days.