'Don’t come here': Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responds to musicians boycotting SXSW over US Army sponsorship



Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) succinctly dismissed bands that have announced boycotts over one of the state's biggest yearly events, the South by Southwest festival.

The annual event has put films, music, interactive media, as well as conferences on display since 1987 in Austin, Texas, which is typically seen as the most art-centric city in the state.

The typically progressive art scene that is prevalent at the festival has decided that the event's sponsors went too far in 2024 with the inclusion of the United States Army as a major backer.

Multiple artists have announced that they have pulled out of the festival over the sponsorship, which they have connected to the Israel-Palestine war in many cases.

Rap group Kneecap from Northern Ireland announced they would not be joining the festival, saying they "cannot in good conscience attend an arts festival that has 'The U.S Army' as a 'super Sponsor,'" the group explained.

They also claimed that other sponsors like RTX were "selling the weapons that have murdered 31,000 Palestinians."

We will not be appearing at @sxsw festival. \ud83d\udc47
— (@)

Brooklyn-based artist Okay Shalom posted on her Instagram that she has dropped out of the festival.

"There’s always a right thing to do and it’s almost never as complicated as the establishment wants you to believe. and sometimes it costs you a dream, but a dream is a dream and not a life. palestinians deserve to dream. they deserve to live," she wrote.

"I am pulling out specifically because of the fact that SXSW is platforming defense contractors including Raytheon subsidiaries as well as the US Army, a main sponsor of the festival," added artist Ella Williams, who goes by Squirrel Flower.

An English group called the Lambrini Girls were less specific, saying they were "trying to find a way to [sic] out of the situation whilst keeping our moral integrity in tact [sic]."

With dozens of bands having reportedly pulled out, Gov. Abbott responded to a media report on the topic through his X account.

"Bands pull out of SXSW over U.S. Army sponsorship. Bye. Don’t come back. Austin remains the HQ for the Army Futures Command. San Antonio is Military City USA. We are proud of the U.S. military in Texas. If you don’t like it, don’t come here," Abbott wrote.

Bands pull out of SXSW over U.S. Army sponsorship.

Bye. Don’t come back.

Austin remains the HQ for the Army Futures Command.

San Antonio is Military City USA.

We are proud of the U.S. military in Texas.

If you don’t like it, don’t come here.
https://t.co/t3RyQgLRKN
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) March 12, 2024

As USA Today reported, Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of defense contractor RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies Corporation), sponsored two showcases at SXSW.

The U.S. Army also announced themselves as a "Super Sponsor" for the festival, likely to reach a younger audience amid recruiting woes.

The progressive boycotts fail to mention any number of the other corporate sponsors that have been funding the festival for years. Volkswagen, alcohol brand White Claw, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, credit card company Capital One, and more are listed as "notable alumni" sponsors of the event.

For 2024, sponsors also include Delta Air Lines and Itau, Latin America's biggest financial institution.

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Family-Friendly Indiana Arts Festival Hosts Drag Show Even After Sponsors Drop Out

The Fort Wayne, Indiana Three Rivers Festival will host its third annual drag performance Monday night.

At least 8 dead, over 300 injured at Astroworld music festival in Houston



A "mass casualty incident" occurred on Friday night during the sold-out Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas. At least eight people are dead following a surge of concert-goers who pushed their way closer to the stage during a performance by rapper Travis Scott.

There were an estimated 50,000 people in attendance at the music festival held at NRG Park – where the event turned deadly around 9 p.m. when the Houston native rapper took the stage.

"The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries," Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña told reporters at a news conference. "People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic."

Peña said the Houston Fire Department transported 17 patients to the hospital, "11 of those transported were in cardiac arrest." One 10-year-old child was critically injured, according to Fox News. At least 300 patients were seen at an onsite field hospital throughout the day.

Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite – who was near the front of the crowd – said the massive surge "happened all at once." He added that security knew at that moment it was time to end the concert prematurely.

"Suddenly we had several people down on the ground, experiencing some type of cardiac arrest or some type of medical episode," Satterwhite said. "And so we immediately started doing CPR, and moving people right then, and that's when I went and met with the promoters, and Live Nation, and they agreed to end early in the interest of public safety."

"A lot of times, kids don't make the best decisions," Satterwhite added. "Because they're young and amped up…. I just think it was so many people — and passion — to see this entertainer. I don't know, and a lot of bad decisions"

Video from the concert shows people dancing on top of an emergency vehicle attempting to attend to those in distress.

Another video- #Disturbing video shows people #jumping on top of the police personal cars while they were trying to get #unconscious people out of the #crowd.\n\n#Houston #ASTROWORLDFest #TravisScott #AstroWorld #music #festival #Houston\n#KHOU11pic.twitter.com/tubnfQIVPS

— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) 1636183126

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said an investigation is needed to discover what caused the deadly event.

"I think it's very important that none of us speculate. Nobody has all the answers tonight," Finner said. "We're going to do an investigation and find out because it's not fair to the producers, to anybody else involved, until we determine what happened, what caused the surge. We don't know, but we will find out."

Finner also said they are working to confirm the identities of the deceased. He noted that the event had a "good security plan," with 367 police officers and 241 security officers on hand.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said, "Our hearts are broken. People go to these events looking for a good time, a chance to unwind, to make memories. It's not the kind of event you go to where you expect to find out about fatalities. … Obviously, this is the last place we want to be – especially after we've been through so much as a community. But we have incredibly capable law enforcement officials here."

Organizers of the Astroworld Festival released a statement on Saturday morning:

Our hearts are with the Astroworld Festival family tonight - especially those we lost and their loved ones. We are focused on supporting local officials however we can. With that in mind the festival will no longer be held on Saturday. As authorities mentioned in their press conference earlier, they are looking into the series of cardiac arrests that took place. If you have any relevant information on this, please reach out to Houston Police. Thank you to our partners at the Houston Police Department, Fire Department, and NRG Park for their response and support

Earlier Friday, a mob stormed through barricades to enter the festival. Around 2 p.m., people are seen on the ground being trampled by the crowd. There were reportedly three injuries linked to the storming of the venue gates.

(CAUTION: Graphic video)

It wasn't a pretty sight as the gates began to open at NRG Stadium for the first day of the Astroworld festival. Video captured festival-goers getting trampled as a huge crowd pushed their way through the entrance gates. \n\nFollow @zacktKHOU\u00a0for the latest coverage.pic.twitter.com/lAFUJVh10o

— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) 1636149192

ALERT Mass casualty incident: 8 dead, several injured at Astroworld festival in Houstonpic.twitter.com/bSZsHnkQjL

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) 1636184986

Day 2 of the Astroworld Festival that was scheduled for Saturday has been canceled.

Stampede At Astroworld Festival In Houston Leaves At Least 8 Dead www.youtube.com

At least 45 killed — including Americans — in stampede at religious festival in Israel



A stampede during a Jewish religious festival in Israel resulted in the deaths of at least 45 people — including Americans — and left another 150 or so injured, in a tragedy that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said was one of the worst disasters the country has seen.

What are the details?

Officials estimated that roughly 100,000 showed up at Mount Meron to celebrate Lag B'Omer, an annual event paying "homage to second-century sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai at his burial site," CNN reported.

It was the first legally-held gathering since the country lifted its COVID-19 restrictions, after vaccinating more than 58% of the population.

CBS News reported:

The stampede began when large numbers of people thronged a narrow tunnel-like passage during the event, according to witnesses and video footage. People began falling on top of each other near the end of the walkway, as they descended slippery metal stairs, witnesses said.

Video footage showed large numbers of people, most of them black-clad ultra-Orthodox men, squeezed in the tunnel. Initial reports and witnesses said police barricades had prevented people from exiting quickly.

Avi Murac, head of the medical department of Israeli volunteer agency United Hatzalah, was on the scene. He told NBC News that he personally performed CPR on around two dozen people in the aftermath, including a teenager he found collapsed on a stairwell.

""There were a lot of people just lying on top of the other, not breathing," Murac said. "People were suffocated because they fell on top of each other."

Dozens of survivors remain in critical condition.

According to ABC News, the U.S. State Department has not yet released the number of American victims, but the Consulate General of Israel in New York said four U.S. citizens were killed in the horrible accident.

Among them was 19-year-old American Daniel "Donny" Morris of New Jersey. The young man's uncle, Rabbi Yechiel Morris, told ABC that his nephew was in Israel studying for the year.

"We are all shocked and devastated," Yechiel Morris said. "There are no words."

Netanyahu declared Sunday a national day of mourning, after visiting Mount Meron. He called the incident "one of the worst disasters that has befallen the state of Israel" and offered his condolences to the victims' families.

The prime minister has called for an investigation into the tragedy.