Annual Texas festival reaffirms its public opposition to Trump’s travel ban
The renowned film, interactive media, music festival and conference, South by Southwest (SXSW), recently announced that they would be making changes to their artist contracts, which contained a controversial clause that implied threat of deportation for non-American bands that did not comply with their rules.
Evidence of the controversial clause from the artist agreement, now being referred to as the “deportation clause,” was brought to attention in a screenshot posted on Twitter by Felix Walworth (@Felixixix666).
In a tweet posted on March 2, Walworth stated that he would be cancelling his band Told Slant’s performance at SXSW. The screenshot in question displayed a portion of SXSW’s contract which stated that “accepting and performing unofficial events may result in immediate deportation, revoked passport and denied entry by U.S. Customs Border Patrol at U.S. ports of entry.”
The annual festival held in Austin, Texas, takes place every March and has a notorious reputation for its secret shows, which are not sanctioned by SXSW.
The deportation clause is an attempt to dissuade artists from performing on stages other than those organized by SXSW. This encourages fans to purchase tickets from official outlets, therefore turning a profit for SXSW.Told Slant, Anti-Flag, and Kimya Dawson were among the 80-plus artists who signed an open letter addressed to SXSW demanding the festival organizers modify their artist contracts, publicly apologize, and reaffirm their stance as a welcoming festival for international bands and festival-goers alike.
In this open letter, Joe Steinhardt, co-founder of Don Giovanni Records, wrote: “I realize that this language has been in your agreement for many years (though that doesn’t mean it was ever right). This year, you have put on a showcase featuring artists from countries listed in the Muslim ban. The language in your artist agreements should reflect your support of these artists rather than besiege them. Please do the right thing and adjust your language to appropriately reflect the current political climate.”
In a statement posted on March 7 by SXSW, festival organizers responded with complete compliance to the demands outlined in the open letter. They promised to rework their contract as well as remove the unnecessary notification of immigration authorities.
Furthermore, SXSW festival organizers reiterated that they have never reported any artists and that they are against U.S. President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban, a stance which was made public in an earlier post on the SXSW website on Jan. 29.
This statement regarding President Trump’s travel ban contained the message: “We stand against discriminatory laws and unequivocally support civil rights for all persons everywhere. Participation by speakers, artists, and filmmakers from around the world is crucial to the creative mix of ideas that makes our event meaningful.”
Photo courtesy of Anthony Quintana via CC BY 2.0.