In the last few months, the investment group Baillie Gifford has ended its sponsorship of all British literary festivals: the Borders, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Henley, Stratford, Wimbledon and Wigtown – and Hay, the first to break ties after protests organised by Fossil Free Books.
Fossil Free Books wanted Baillie Gifford ‘to divest from the fossil fuel industry and from companies that profit from Israeli apartheid, occupation and genocide.’
Meanwhile, at the end of June, in the US, the South by Southwest film festival said that the US army and ‘companies who engage in weapons manufacturing’ would not be sponsoring its 2025 festival. Many artists had withdrawn from the 2024 event in support of Palestine.
Topics: Corporations & sponsorship