Chloe Slater and TTSSFU lead boycott of Manchester International Festival over Aviva ties to insuring Israel weapon manufacturers
Chloe Slater and TTSSFU have boycotted the Manchester International Festival over its ties to Aviva and their involvement in arms sales to Israel.
The 2025 edition of the festival is currently underway and Manchester indie artist and former NME Cover star Slater as well as fellow Mancunian TSSFU were set to play a show at Festival Square in Aviva Studios on Thursday night (July 10).
On Wednesday, they both announced that they had pulled out of the event, however, citing Aviva’s involvement with a company that is involved in the manufacture of arms that are being used “to massacre Palestinians in Gaza”.
Slater wrote on her Instagram Stories: “I’m extremely sorry and disappointed to announce that the band and I will no longer be playing Manchester International Festival tomorrow.”
“AVIVA Plc insures UAV Engines, owned by Elbit Systems – a UK factory that makes engines for drones used to massacre Palestinians in Gaza,” she continued. “I wanted so much to do this gig but I will always stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine against the ongoing genocide.”
“Playing and promoting this venue is strongly against my values, so until AVIVA Plc cuts its ties with Israel, I will not be playing here. I am extremely sorry as I never want to cancel a show and want to see all of you 
We are going to try and plan a Manchester show soon to make up for it. Love you all. Free Palestine.”
TTSSFU, a solo project by Manchester’s Tasmin Stephens, also shared her reasoning on Instagram on Wednesday. “Alongside Chloe Slater, I have decided to boycott this show due to the venue and company’s ties to Aviva plc,” she wrote.
“We demand that Aviva plc drops its ties to UAV Engines immediately and we refuse to be part of an artwashing strategy for Aviva plc, a company profiting from a genocide of innocent people.”
“It is important in times like these to not bury your head in the sand. Music is about love and joy and freedom. Anything related to supporting the murder of innocent children is everything us artists are against, it’s crushing for this to keep happening but we have to stand together.”
She concluded: “We support Factory International and all that they do for grassroots communities in Manchester, the Greater Manchester Area and beyond – we wish them all the luck in the world with getting out of their ties to Aviva plc. FREE PALESTINE.”
Manchester International Festival told NME: “We respect the individual views and decisions of the artists in question and are sorry that they feel unable to work with us on this occasion. We welcome open conversations surrounding topics that affect our artists and audiences and are committed to fostering an inclusive and open space for creative expression.”
NME has also contacted Aviva Plc for comment.
The trend of artists using their platforms to boycott festivals and events over their connection to arms manufacturers has grown over the last two years.
SXSW 2024 saw a huge wave of boycotts, due to its sponsorship from the US Army and defence contractors participating in the festival. Big names like Kneecap, Rachel Chinouriri, Lambrini Girls, Scowl and Gel were among those who dropped out of the festival in Texas and, in response, Texas governor Greg Abbott took to X saying: “Bands pull out of SXSW over U.S. Army Sponsorship. Bye. Don’t come back. We are proud of the U.S. military in Texas. If you don’t like it, don’t come here.”
Organisers of SXSW, however, eventually released a statement saying that they “do not agree” with Abbott, adding that “we are an organisation that welcomes diverse viewpoints […] Music is the soul of SXSW, and it has long been our legacy. We fully respect the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech.”
Later, they went on to cut ties with the US Army and RTX, announcing the army would “not be sponsors” of the 2025 edition.
Last month, a number of artists, including Heartworms, Sam Akpro and jasmine.4.t pulled out of SXSW London in protest at appearances from Tony Blair, David Cameron and NATO.
In a statement to NME, a SXSW London spokesperson addressed the controversy and said: “As one of the world’s largest festivals across tech, music and the creative industries, SXSW London respects everyone’s views and positions and aims to create an open, diverse space for debate and discussion.
“Across the breadth of the festival, with over 800 speakers, we have a broad range of global leaders spanning the technology and cultural industries, their inclusion does not represent an endorsement of any particular position or viewpoint.”
A group of 11 artists boycotted Field Day this year in solidarity in Palestine earlier this summer, with more than 50 other artists, including Massive Attack and Brian Eno, signing an open letter urging them to distance themselves from global investment firm KKR.
The post Chloe Slater and TTSSFU lead boycott of Manchester International Festival over Aviva ties to insuring Israel weapon manufacturers appeared first on NME.
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