- South by Southwest acknowledged artists who boycotted the festival due to US Army sponsorship.
- Gov. Greg Abbott's dismissal of the protesters triggered SXSW's statement supporting free speech.
- Despite the controversy, SXSW is maintaining its military sponsorship.
South by Southwest pushed back in response to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday after he demanded artists who pulled out of the festival due to US Army involvement not return to Texas.
"SXSW does not agree with Governor Abbott," the organization posted on X on Tuesday. "We fully respect the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech."
Numerous bands and artists have dropped out during and in the days leading up to SXSW in opposition to the US Army's sponsorship of the eight-day festival. Artists have stated they do not want to associate with the US military and are protesting its support for Israel by not participating.
And to that, Abbott responded on X: "Bye. Don't come back."
The governor took to social media to emphasize that the cities of Austin and San Antonio are important military hubs and will remain that way.
"We are proud of the U.S. military in Texas," he wrote.
Though SXSW accepted the decision of some artists to pull out of their planned appearances, the festival has chosen to maintain its US Army sponsorship to better understand certain "emerging technologies" and ideas in the defense space.
In addition to the Army, the major defense manufacturer Collins Aerospace is also participating in the festival. Artists have cited other industry giants such as BAE Systems and RTX Corporation, formerly known as Raytheon, in their reasoning for boycotting, the Texas Tribune reported.
"The Army's sponsorship is part of our commitment to bring forward ideas that shape our world," SXSW wrote in its social-media statement on X, explaining that these institutions provide "entrepreneurs visibility and funding for potentially game-changing work."
The Army is hosting a range of panels at the festival from "Transforming for the Future: Innovation, Tech, and the Army" to "Unleash Your Beast: Army Functional Fitness."
Artists such as Rachel Chinouriri made social-media statements about their decision to drop out of SXSW.
"I am 100% anti-war and do not want any association with war in any capacity," Chinouriri wrote on X on Tuesday, adding that "this has been an enormous oversight by SXSW and hopefully a huge learning experience to be more considerate about this in the future."
Some artists have also decided to participate in local unofficial performances instead of SXSW.
"I will never put my name on or perform my labor for an event in service of the US war machine, and especially not now as they continue to fuel the ongoing violence against Palestinians," the singer-songwriter Eliza McLamb wrote on X.
Ellen Lovett, a spokesperson for the US Army, said in a statement for the military-news website Stars and Stripes that "SXSW presents a unique opportunity for the Army to meet technology innovators and leaders, explore new ideas and insights, and create dynamic industry partnerships as we modernize for the future."