Rap group Kneecap from Northern Ireland announced they would not be joining the festival, saying they "cannot in good conscience attend an arts festival that has 'The U.S Army' as a 'super Sponsor,'" the group explained.

They also claimed that other sponsors like RTX were "selling the weapons that have murdered 31,000 Palestinians." ...

"Bands pull out of SXSW over U.S. Army sponsorship. Bye. Don’t come back. Austin remains the HQ for the Army Futures Command. San Antonio is Military City USA. We are proud of the U.S. military in Texas. If you don’t like it, don’t come here," Abbott wrote.