High-profile comedians join Latitude Festival boycott in support of Palestine
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(Credits: Latitude Festival)
After Irish singer-songwriter CMAT announced her decision to boycott Latitude Festival over its sponsorship with Barclays amid the bank’s links with supplying weapons to Israeli forces, several comedians have now announced their decision to not perform at the arts festival.
Last month, CMAT took to Instagram to share the reasoning for her decision, and also explained why her moral conscience took precedence over appearing at the festival, which is an event close to her heart. “I will not allow my precious work, my music, which I love so much, to get into bed with violence,” she wrote.
CMAT also stated that she had made her views clear to the festival organisers weeks in advance of her announcement, hoping that they might change sponsors. “This has not happened and it has been made clear to me that it will not happen,” she explained.
Barclays has been under intense scrutiny due to its links with weapon manufacturers used in Israel’s ongoing attack on Gaza. In a statement, a spokesperson for Barclays previously defended the company, claiming, “We provide vital financial services to US, UK and European public companies that supply defence products to NATO and its allies. Barclays does not directly invest in these companies.”
Last month, over 100 acts boycotted The Great Escape in Brighton due to its Barclays sponsorship, and this week, several artists have withdrawn from Download Festival over the same issue. The latter is scheduled to take place between June 14th and June 17th.
Following CMAT’s decision to pull out of Latitude, Pillow Queens, Mui Zyu and Georgia Ruth followed suit. Now, comedians have also joined the boycott.
Sketch group Pappy’s are among those to have withdrawn. Sharing on social media, member Matthew Crosby stated, “Barclays is bankrolling Israel’s genocidal assault on the Palestinian people through its financial ties with arms companies that sell weapons to Israel.”
Stand-up comic Alexandra Haddow also withdrew, noting that Latitude Festival is featured “on the BDS official boycott list”, and admitted, “I can’t in good conscience take the fee.”
Joanne McNally, who was set to headline The Comedy Arena stage at the festival, is the latest figure to pull out of the line-up. The comedian, who co-hosts the hit podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me, told her followers on Instagram: I’m getting messages today about me performing at Latitude when it’s being sponsored by Barclays. I’m not longer doing Latitude. was due to close the comedy tent on the Sunday night but I pulled out last week.”
Latitude Festival is set to take place in Suffolk between July 25th and July 28th with Kasabian, London Grammar and Duran Duran set to headline. As the event inches closer, as seen with The Great Escape and Download Festival, more acts are likely to join the boycott.
