Barclays suspends sponsorship of Latitude, Isle of Wight and Download festivals
Barclays has stepped back as a sponsor of all Live Nation festivals as bands boycott the events in protest of the bank's ties to defence companies supplying Israel and fossil fuel firms.
Barclaycard was removed from the websites of festivals including Suffolk's Latitude, the Isle of Wight and Download, as it suspended its sponsorship.
It came after several bands, including Pest Control, Speed, Scowl, Zulu and Ithaca withdrew from Download - which starts on Friday in Leicestershire.
The pop singer CMAT - whose real name is Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson - had already said she was pulling out of Latitude because of its ties with Barclays.
A spokesperson for Live Nation said: “Following discussion with artists, we have agreed with Barclays that they will step back from sponsorship of our festivals.”
In a statement on Instagram, Pest Control wrote: "We will not take part in an event whose sponsor profits from facilitating a genocide."
Meanwhile, Ithaca wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "While we hate letting anyone down, this moment of solidarity sends a powerful message to the organisers about where the younger generation of bands stand."
Following Live Nation's announcement, the protest group Bands Boycott Barclays wrote on Instagram: "This is a victory for the Palestinian-led global BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement.
"As musicians, we were horrified that our music festivals were partnered with Barclays, who are complicit in the genocide in Gaza through investment, loans and underwriting of arms companies supplying the Israeli military.
"Hundreds of artists have taken action this summer to make it clear that this is morally reprehensible, and we are glad we have been heard.
"Our demand to Barclays is simple: divest from the genocide, or face further boycotts."
Barclays has been targeted by pro-Palestine campaigners in recent months, with protesters smashing windows and throwing paint over dozens of the bank's branches across the UK earlier this week.
In a statement posted online, the bank said: "We trade in shares of listed companies in response to client instruction or demand and that may result in us holding shares.
"While we provide financial services to these companies, we are not making investments for Barclays and Barclays is not a 'shareholder' or 'investor' in that sense in relation to these companies."
Climate campaigners also welcomed the move to suspend the Barclaycard sponsorship.
Joanna Warrington at Fossil Free London said: "Barclays is a rotten bank: artists, brands, clients, and customers are all abandoning Barclays because of the billions Barclays is ploughing into fossil fuel companies like Shell and Israeli arms companies dropping bombs on innocent Palestinian children.
"This won't stop until Barclays stops funding destruction."
A spokesman for Barclays said the bank had been asked to step back, and had agreed.
"The protesters’ agenda is to have Barclays debank defence companies which is a sector we remain committed to as an essential part of keeping this country and our allies safe.
"They have resorted to intimidating our staff, repeated vandalism of our branches and online harassment.
"The only thing that this small group of activists will achieve is to weaken essential support for cultural events enjoyed by millions. It is time that leaders across politics, business, academia and the arts stand united against this.”
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