Thye Texas governor defends U.S. Army sponsorship of SXSW festival by telling musicians "don't come back" after they pulled out of the festival.
  • Optional@lemmy.world
    351·
    8 months ago

    Maybe it’s me, but if the army sponsored any event I had been thinking about going to, i definitely wouldn’t.

    Why is the army sponsoring anything? Just . . be the army. Y’know. Do army stuff, not put on a wig and play air guitar

    • thesporkeffect@lemmy.world
      261·
      8 months ago

      They have to because no one wants to work murder brown people for oil anymore and that’s kinda their entire deal

  • BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world
    62·
    8 months ago

    This feels more like a publicity stunt than artists actually sticking to their principles. I mean Texas isn’t doing that hot in the human rights category either.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    2·
    8 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    Texas Governor Greg Abbott hit out at musicians on Tuesday who are pulling out of the South by Southwest festival (SXSW) over the U.S. Army’s sponsorship of the event, telling them “Don’t come back” to the state.

    The internationally recognized event brings thousands of visitors to Austin each March, showcasing music, film and interactive media.

    On Tuesday, musicians including Kneecap, Lambrini Girls, Scowl, Gel, Okay Shalom, Squirrel Flower and Sprints began pulling out of SXSW in protest at the Army sponsorship.

    Following Hamas’ attack, President Joe Biden, who later stressed the need for humanitarian aid to Gaza, announced that the U.S. would stand with Israel during the conflict and pledged to send the country a trove of military equipment and weapons.

    The U.S. Army will also construct a seaport on Gaza’s Mediterranean coastline to help deliver humanitarian aid, as announced by Biden during his State of the Union address last week.

    Despite the two-year pause in the festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event’s impact on the Austin economy in 2022 totaled $280.7 million, according to SXSW, as it typically attracts over 300,000 people each year.

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