Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
DPRK strongly condemnded the US strikes on Iran
Iran: Fars News Agency: A woman and her 6-year-old son were killed in an Israeli drone attack on Kermanshah Province
Iran: IRNA: Attack Wave 21 was not carried out, and the operation carried out minutes ago was from Yemen against targets in the occupied territories
Sirens are sounding in Tel Aviv and surrounding areas
Israeli military command: We identified missiles launched from Iran
Tunis: The legitimacy created by World War II is crumbling and the future belongs to free peoples of the world
Tunis: We emphasize that the aggression against Iran should not obscure other ongoing crimes, the first of which is the war of extermination against the Palestinian people
Tunis: International legitimacy does not permit or justify aggression against Iran under any cover or title
Tunisia: Foreign Ministry: We call for an end to the aggression against our sister country, Iran, and we do not limit ourselves to condemning the Zionist and American attacks
Iran: Nur News: An Israeli aerial assault is targeting the region of Parchin, east Tehran

Spanish artists boycott Israeli-linked festivals over Gaza genocide

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 5 Jun 2025 08:56
  • 2 Shares
3 Min Read

Spanish musicians withdraw from Barcelona’s Sonar festival in protest of corporate sponsors linked to illegal Israeli settlements.

Listen
  • x
  • Revellers attend the 24th Advanced Music and Multimedia Art International Sonar Festival in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, June 15, 2017.
    Revellers attend the 24th Advanced Music and Multimedia Art International Sonar Festival in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, June 15, 2017. (AP)

A group of Spanish performers has withdrawn from several major cultural events in protest of ties to "Israel", citing the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.

At the center of the protest is the Sonar music festival, scheduled to take place from 12 to 14 June in Barcelona. According to Anadolu Agency, 28 Spanish artists have announced their boycott of Sonar over the involvement of investment firm KKR, which reportedly maintains financial ties to projects linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Palestinians call for the boycott of Sónar festival

The Barcelona festival has failed to drop all of its complicit partnerships with BDS priority targets pic.twitter.com/rYZ0VtrLrg

— PACBI - BDS movement (@PACBI) June 2, 2025

The Sonar festival boycott 2025 has drawn international attention, particularly as it reflects a growing cultural rejection of Israeli affiliations amid mounting accusations of war crimes in Gaza. Artists who withdrew stated that their protest stems directly from KKR’s reported complicity in settlement construction and broader support for the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

In a collective statement, the performers emphasized that participating in festivals supported by institutions tied to "Israel" would make them complicit in the Gaza genocide.

Cultural boycott gains momentum in Spain

This latest development signals a broader wave of Spanish solidarity with Palestine, as musicians and artists call for greater accountability from cultural institutions. KKR’s involvement in financing or enabling illegal Israeli settlements has become a flashpoint for activists across the Spanish arts scene.

By linking corporate participation to human rights violations, the artists are challenging what they describe as the normalization of "Israel’s" role in the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed or forcibly displaced during the current war.

In response to the boycott, Sonar released an official statement on its website claiming its stance on human rights. The organizers stated that they “strongly condemn the genocide suffered by the Palestinian people” and that they maintain “a clear stance regarding human rights.”

Despite the controversy, the festival has not confirmed whether it will sever ties with KKR or reassess its sponsorship policies moving forward.

As the Gaza genocide protest in Spain expands, it highlights the increasing pressure on global cultural platforms to take political and ethical positions in light of the Israeli genocide.

Read more: Spain cancels $325M Israeli anti-tank missile deal

  • Barcelona’s Sonar festival
  • pro-Palestine protest
  • Spain
  • Israeli Settlements
  • Gaza genocide
  • West Bank
  • Israeli settlement process

Most Read

Iran launches 9th wave of Op. True Promise 3, destroys IOF air defense

Iran launches 9th wave of Op. True Promise 3, destroys IOF air defense

  • MENA
  • 17 Jun 2025
Rescue team work at the site where a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 16, 2025 (AP)

Wave 12 of Operation True Promise 3 launched, Sejjil deployed: IRGC

  • Politics
  • 18 Jun 2025
Israeli workers survey the site where a missile launched from Iran struck in Haifa on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP)

True Promise 3, wave 20: 40 missiles launched, Kheibar-Shekan in first

  • Politics
  • 22 Jun 2025
Iran launches missile barrage to Tel Aviv, casualties reported

True Promise 3, wave 14: Tel Aviv targeted, casualties reported

  • Politics
  • 19 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani, speaks with then-Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis in a meeting in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, January 17, 2017 (AP)
Politics

Iran holds the initiative after nuclear strikes, Shamkhani says

Blood stains a religious painting inside Mar Elias Church, where a suicide bomber detonated himself in al-Dwela, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, on Sunday, June 22, 2025 (AP)
Politics

UN, regional governments condemn Damascus church bombing

A B-2 bomber arrives at Whiteman Air Force Base Missouri, Sunday, June 22, 2025, after returning from a massive strike on Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday (AP)
Politics

Israeli media: US-Israeli strike on Iran failed to end war

China UN Ambassador Fu Cong addresses the United Nations Security Council, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Politics

China slam US strikes on Iran nuclear sites

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS