(Credits: Field Day)
11 artists have withdrawn from London‘s Field Day festival due to KKR, the parent company of Superstruct, who own the festival.
Last month, Brian Eno, Ben UFO and Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack were among more than 200 artists to sign an open letter calling upon the London-based day festival to distance itself from the investment firm. The company has ties to the Coastal GasLink pipeline and several Israeli corporations that operate in occupied Palestinian territories.
The letter reads: “The consequences of KKR’s complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza and apartheid regime against all Palestinians are not only countless violations of human rights and international law, but the systematic destruction of Palestinian life and society; not to mention the violence erupting throughout the region, killing Lebanese civilians, humanitarian aid workers, and too many others.”
While noting that “this acquisition was not the choice of Field Day,” it still stressed that the festival “has an urgent and profound legal and moral obligation to take a clear stand.” The list of demands included that Field Day publicly distance itself from KKR.
Now, Ex.ses, Malissa, Ariana V, Inda Flo, Calaida, Guyz, Jezebelle, ŌKAMI, Chickie, Izzy., and Moontalk have withdrawn from the line-up.
Sisu Crew will also no longer be involved in this year’s Field Day. They explained: “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.”
Furthermore, on May 12th, via Mixmag, groups including Cultural Workers Against Genocide, Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, and Queers for Palestine announced a boycott of Field Day..
Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel said in a statement of their boycott of Field Day: “We are disappointed by Field Day’s lack of response to the open 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.”
They continued: “We call on all Field Day artists, workers and attendees to join us in solidarity and to acknowledge the human rights atrocities enacted against Palestinians, which include systemic displacement, military violence, and forced starvation.”
Field Day are yet to comment on the boycott. The festival is set to take place at Brockwell Park on May 24th, it will be headlined by Peggy Gou and also host DJ sets from Jungle, Mall Grab, Midland, Jayda G and James Blake B2B with Mala.
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