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SXSW Responds To Texas Governor’s “Don’t Come Back” Comment After Musicians Drop Out Of Fest Protesting Military Ties


Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and SXSW traded jabs on Twitter after as many as 60 bands pulled out of Austin-based festival over the fest's military ties.

Greg Abbott and SXSW on Tuesday traded jabs on social media in response to a group of as many as 60 bands who have pulled out of Austin-based festival to protest its sponsor ties to the U.S. Army, as well as its inclusion of defense contractors taking part in some of the fest’s conference programs. In addition, defense contractors Raytheon, Collins Aerospace and BAE Systems, as well as Department of Defense agencies including the CIA and NSA, are taking part in conference events at the festival, the sprawling annual event in Austin that encompasses the well-known music, film and TV festival with speaker and conference platforms featuring topics that run the gamut from tech, entertainment, science and culture to health, politics and media. It also urges fest organizers to “use its platform to raise awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and advocate for peace, justice, and the protection of human rights.”

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don’t come back