Artists Abandon Spain's Sonar Festival in Support of Palestinians

Dozens of artists have withdrawn from next week's Sonar electronic music festival in Spain, protesting the financial connections between its parent company and real estate investments in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

In an open letter shared on social media, more than 60 artists—including Arca, Asia, DJ Paquita Gordon, and Shaun J. Wright—accused the private equity firm KKR of being "fully complicit in the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza."

Sonar, which will take place in Barcelona from June 12 to 14 this year, is one of approximately 80 global events managed by Superstruct Entertainment, which has been majority-owned by KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) since October 2024.

The artists are urging the festival to cut ties with KKR and to align with the principles of the international Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which aims to financially pressure Israel into ending its occupation of Palestinian territories.

BDS has accused KKR of complicity in "Israel's genocide and colonial apartheid regime," highlighting the firm's stake in German media group Axel Springer. This group owns the Israeli classifieds site Yad2, which, according to BDS, features listings for real estate projects in occupied Palestinian territories.

The Sonar festival stated on its website that KKR's acquisition of Superstruct shares in 2024 was "purely financial" and insisted that Sonar had no involvement in the transaction. "We categorically condemn the genocide of the Palestinian people," the festival declared, adding, "At no time have we ever sent—nor will we ever send—a single euro to KKR."

Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun, a member of the far-left Sumar alliance, expressed concern last month regarding KKR's role in Spanish festivals and its business activities in "illegally occupied" Palestinian territories. "We do not want a fund that actively contributes to the illegal occupation of Palestine to have a role in our cultural life," he remarked to reporters.

KKR did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP in New York.

Spain, Ireland, and Norway officially recognized a Palestinian state in May 2024, a coordinated decision that was met with condemnation from Israel. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is among the most vocal critics within the European Union regarding Israel's military operations in Gaza.