Punk band to boycott Boardmasters due to inclusion of Israeli surfers at festival
Brighton-based punk band The Menstrual Cramps have announced that they are boycotting the Newquay surf and music festival Boardmasters, as the event includes Israeli surfers.
On August 5th, Boardmasters posted their statement, ‘Where We Stand’, which addressed their owners, Superstruct Entertainment, recently acquired by investment giant KKR and tied directly to the Israeli defence sector.
The statement touched upon the conflict in the Middle East: “The ongoing genocide and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is an atrocity, with innocent Palestinians being killed, displaced, and subjected to unimaginable suffering.”
They added initially: “We completely distance ourselves from the wider investment choices of our external investors. We are literally distant from them and cannot influence, nor do we align with the funding decisions made at that level. Specifically, we don’t support or align with investments or actions that contradict our core values of fairness, integrity, inclusivity, and excellence. Our integrity is not for sale.”
The Menstrual Cramps reacted against this statement by writing on Instagram, “It is with great sadness that we, The Menstrual Cramps, are removing ourselves from the Boardmasters lineup. We have dreamed of playing this festival for many years, with our drummer being from Newquay, but we feel forced to withdraw at this time.”
However, the queer punk band are not content with the festival’s stance, instead suggesting that it “avoids some key issues that mean we are not able to take part.”
First, the band notes, “Israeli surfers are participating in the festival + surfing competitions. It was made clear to us that the festival will not remove them from the festival, which goes against our beliefs. We believe in a cultural Boycott of Israel, which means not spotlighting Israeli’s at a festival during a genocide.”
Second, the band claim that Boardmasters have failed to adhere to the suggestions of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.
Lastly, they write, “Boardmasters has not to our knowledge agreed to discuss these issues with KKR or Superstruct.” However, they later do praise the festival for “taking the time to meet and discuss this with us, and we hope they change their stance in the future.”
Closing their statement with an explanation of their refusal to attend and play for the Cornwall-based festival, sharing, “When festivals, cultural spaces, sports competitions, music competitions (looking at you EuroVision) platform Israeli people, they make an active choice to legitimise and normalise the genocide. We cannot and will not look the other way.”
This year’s festival, which will run from August 8th to August 10th, is set to be headlined by Central Cee, Raye, and The Prodigy. Other big names gracing the stage include The Wombats, Wet Leg, Nelly Furtado, Maribou State, London Grammar and Bob Vylan.
Notably, Boardmasters were pressured to remove punk duo Bob Vylan following their controversial performance at Glastonbury from the line-up. Despite an ongoing police investigation, the band are still set to perform.
Additionally, the Boardmasters Foundation will donate to the Medical Campaign x Sameer Project, which provides medical aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
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