The Benicàssim festival, marked by an artist boycott over the siege of Gaza
The Benicàssim International Festival (FIB) kicked off this Thursday under the shadow of controversial cancellations by artists who decided not to participate in protest of the event's ties to the US investment fund KKR, accused of financing companies linked to Israel and the Palestinian conflict. The latest confirmed withdrawals were the Madrid-based group Camellos and singers Mushkaa and Jimena Amarillo, who join a list of rejections that already included names such as Residente, Judeline, Califato 3/4, and Samantha Hudson.
The FIB, which is celebrating its 29th edition until Saturday, maintains a lineup headed by major international acts such as Thirty Seconds to Mars and The Black Keys, as well as prominent national artists such as Love of Lesbian, León Benavente, and Iván Ferreiro. However, the controversy surrounding the festival's funding has overshadowed preparations for an event expected to attract more than 130,000 attendees and which, according to the organizers, was practically sold out.
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The cancellations have been staggering in recent weeks, but it was only this Tuesday that Camellos, Mushkaa, and Jimena Amarillo publicly announced their decision not to perform. The group Camellos shared a video on Instagram in which their vocalist, Frankie Ríos, explained that the band has "always maintained a fairly firm stance on the Palestinian cause." "We have decided not to go to FIB. The reasons, if you do a little research, you'll understand them quite clearly," the musician stated, adding that the decision-making process within the band was slow due to its democratic structure. "We wish the best to the festival workers and see you at the next ones. From the river to the sea, you know," he concluded, referring to the pro-Palestinian slogan "From the river to the sea."
Mushkaa The singer regrets not having also boycotted Barcelona's SónarFor her part, Catalan singer Mushkaa (Irma Farelo) published a statement acknowledging her regret for not having also boycotted the Sónar festival last month, where she faced a similar situation. “At that time, I thought that the boycott wasn't the only way to do activism and that perhaps we could change certain things from within. Today, I feel like I made a mistake,” she admitted. The artist stated that she now considers the boycott “the only tool for real change against genocide” and rejected being “an accomplice of investment funds that turn culture into a business to subsidize the genocide against Palestine.” Jimena Amarillo, another of the artists who left the lineup, justified her decision on Instagram, citing an incompatibility with her values. “I don't want to be part of an event subject to financial interests that are incompatible with me,” she wrote, closing her message with a forceful “Free Palestine.”
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These cancellations follow those announced in previous days, most notably that of Puerto Rican rapper Residente, who a week ago published a video explaining his refusal to participate in any event linked to KKR. "I cannot participate for a single second in anything related to this tragedy, even in the slightest way," he declared. The artist denounced the US fund for financing "Israeli companies linked to military technology" and "real estate projects in illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territories," thus contributing, he said, to "the systematic violation of human rights."
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