Artists Pull Out of SXSW London for "Artwashing" with Tony Blair, David Cameron and NATO Appearances

Artists pull out of SXSW London for "artwashing" with Tony Blair, David Cameron and NATO appearances

Several artists have pulled out of SXSW London in protest of appearances from Tony Blair, David Cameron and NATO.

SXSW London accused of ‘artwashing’ for hosting panel with Tony Blair

The participation of former British prime ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron were hidden from the public line-up of the inaugural edition of the festival SXSW London. This has prompted several artists to pull out and criticise the festival.

Multiple artists withdraw from SXSW London over unannounced panels with Tony Blair and David Cameron

Artists have objected to the "unethical, misleading and secretive conference programming of war criminals, art-washing and practices that exploit marginalised artists"

Artists Pull Out Of SXSW London Over Surprise Panels With Former UK Prime Ministers, NATO

SXSW can’t escape controversy. Last year, dozens of artists pulled out of official showcases in protest of the festival’s affiliation with Raytheon subsidiaries, as well as the US Army. Artists like Squirrel Flower pointed out how music shouldn’t be tied to war profiteering and spoke out against the genocide happening in Palestine. Now, it seems that the first edition of SXSW London is facing massive resistance as well.

Multiple artists pull out of SXSW London line-up in protest of Tony Blair and David Cameron involvement

Sarra Wild, LVRA, Sam Akpro, and Tara Lily have withdrawn from this week’s event following surprise appearances from the two former Prime MinistersContinue reading...