Artists boycott Manchester International Festival over Aviva ties to Israel weaponry
Adult DVD, TTSSFU and Chloe Slater have pulled out of the Manchester International Festival, due to Aviva Studios ties to a manufacturing company that provides drones to the Israeli Army.
On July 9th, both rising star Chloe Slater and TTSSFU announced that they pulled out of the event specifically citing Aviva’s complicity in the conflict in the Middle East. Aviva is involved with a company that manufactures arms that are being used, in the words of Slater, to “massacre” the Palestinian people.
In a post on her Instagram Stories, Slater released a statement addressing her imminent performance at the festival. It began, “I am extremely sorry and disappointed to announce that the band and I will no longer be playing Manchester International Festival tomorrow.”
She added, “AVIVA Plc insures UAV Engines, owned by Elbit Systems – a UK factory that makes engines for drones used to massacre Palestinians in Gaza. I wanted so much to do this gig but I will always stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine against the ongoing genocide.”
The statement continued, “Playing and promoting this venue is strongly against my values, so until AVIVA Plc cuts its ties with Israel, I will not be playing there.” Slater announced that she is trying to organise a separate Manchester show, while apologising to fans who were expecting to catch her rattle through hits like ‘Sucker’ and ‘Fig Tree’.
TTSSFU followed suit in an Instagram post, adding, “It is important in times like these to not bury your head in the sand. Music is about love and joy and freedom. Anything related to supporting the murder of innocent children is everything us artists are against, it’s crushing for this to keep happening but we have to stand together.”
She also clarified that she supports “Factory International and all that they do for grassroots communities in Manchester,” who operate the event space.
In another Instagram Stories post, the Leeds-based band Adult DVD also pulled out of the upcoming show, only a handful of hours before it was set to begin. They admitted, “We only found out last night about the situation regarding the venue’s sponsor and it’s ties to Elbit Systems who provide arms to Israel.” Like Slater, they too have tried to organise a separate show, but were unable to make it work.
Chips With Everything, a DJ group, was to spin tracks throughout the evening. However, with all three bands set to play on Thursday night now pulling out of the gig, fans and music lovers wait expectantly for a notice of cancellation from the festival.
Factory International told Far Out in a statement: “We respect the individual views and decisions of the artists in question and are sorry that they feel unable to work with us on this occasion. We welcome open conversations surrounding topics that affect our artists and audiences and are committed to fostering an inclusive and open space for creative expression.”
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