Charlotte Church pulls out of Hay Festival in protest at sponsor
Charlotte Church has issued a statement announcing she is pulling out of the Hay Festival while taking aim at the festival’s ‘hypocrisy’ of receiving sponsorship from an investment management company with links to Israel and the fossil fuel industry.
The singer was due to appear in a talk with author Mary Loudon but has now withdrawn from the festival ‘in solidarity with the people of Palestine and in protest of the artwashing and greenwashing that is apparent in this sponsorship.’
The Hay Festival runs from 23 May – 2 June.
Charlotte wrote on her social media: “I’m scheduled in to talk at the Hay Festival with the brilliant Mary Loudon this weekend. However, due to the continuing sponsorship of the festival by asset manager Baillie Gifford, I will be boycotting and not attending in solidarity with the people of Palestine and in protest of the artwashing and greenwashing that is apparent in this sponsorship.
“According to the Fossil Free Books campaign, Baillie Gifford has investments worth more than £10billion in companies with links to Israeli occupation, security apparatus and genocide of Palestinians. It also has between £2.5billion and £5billion invested in fossil fuel companies.
“In response to this criticism, they downplay this as “only 2%” of their portfolio invested in companies that profit from fossil fuels. As you can see, this is many times more than the combined net worth of everybody involved at the Hay Festival. “Only 2%” is not good enough.
“The Hay Festival is one of the most beloved liberal arts festivals in the UK. It exists because artists give it their energy. In 2024, for Hay Festival to platform leading environmentalists and climate justice campaigners whilst accepting cash that has been generated in the fossil fuel industry, is a rank hypocrisy, and a betrayal of those contributors and of all the children whose futures will be radically different because of investors like Baillie Gifford.
“This is not a game of checks and balances. Your art festival is not more important than the lives of Palestinian children and the future of healthy ecosystems on earth. We are at a critical stage in the world where we must demand transparency, accountability and consequences for those profiting from destruction of life on earth. If the art world continues to take this dirty money, we all become complicit. I’m thankful to the wonderful network of humans who for decades have done and continue to do, so much deep research to root out and shine a light on these dishonest partnerships.
“To those people who were going to Hay for my talk with Mary, I’m sorry and disappointed too. I’d like to encourage everyone reading to give anything they can afford to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). I will also be rearranging that conversation with Mary Loudon on Instagram Live – details to follow.
Much love to you and yours
Charlotte x”
In response Julie Finch, Hay Festival Global CEO issued the following statement:
“Hay Festival Hay-on-Wye is now underway, welcoming thousands to enjoy a world of different perspectives in our green fields in Wales over the next ten days.
“As a charity, our mission is to create accessible spaces for creativity and curiosity to thrive, provoking collective conversations to build a better future, drawing on the most creative minds and experts. To do this, we operate a mixed-funding model that includes sponsorship, grant funding, ticket revenue, memberships, and donations. In all our agreements, Hay Festival Global maintains its editorial independence.
“This past week, some of our Festival artists have joined the renewed protest over the investments of one of our sponsors, Baillie Gifford. Many supporting this call are doing so in their planned Festival events, but some have chosen to withdraw. We continue to engage with Baillie Gifford and other arts partners to resolve this.
“At a time of overlapping global crises, every voice and every conversation matters at Hay Festival. Where artists withdraw from our events, we will work to fill the space with platforms that explore these issues in depth. We are grateful to all those artists, partners and audiences who continue to contribute to the conversation, on stage and off. Please join us.”
BREAKING UPDATE….
Hay Festival suspends controversial sponsor after Charlotte Church protest
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Great girl! Love our Charl!!!
I second that.
But also a tad naive.
Why so?
Da iawn!!!
Well done Charlotte! Festivals like Green Man manage to not have sponsorship why does Hay have to take money from these people
If as they claim it is ‘only 2%’ then it shouldn’t be too hard to divest…
Does she not heat her home/s, drive a car/s, fly anywhere/everywhere?
How are those 100+ Israeli hostages doing? Being raped, tortured, killed day after day.
Charlotte it is you being naively hypocritical.
Exactly. How was she planning to travel there 🤣
Your point seems to be that we are dependent on fossil fuels, therefore we shouldn’t criticise or try and do anything about our dependence on fossil fuels?
That is utterly bizarre, irrational, circular reasoning there, my friend. Depressing to think that people like you vote.
That’s the same I suffer with my own family, they accept everything about the world and any attempt to highlight any injustice is met with refusal and sheer anger. These are the types who would have fully have embraced slavery had they been born before it became illegal. Love how they throw excuses in such as “well, tell us how it should be changed then” – like they expect you to fix all the world problems, designed ofcourse to make onlookers believe unless you can fix it, your outlook and stance has no merit.
So right Adam
She has grown up massively since the days of Her and Gav. One hell of a woman who stands by her principles and her word. Our country could do with more like her!
They need to take a look at their approach. Not just this issue. I am; n the local pub, and the locals feel they are being squeezed out with no ew commercial clauses that not only make it expensive to get stall, but if they reach a certain profit, have to give £20k gainshare to the organisers.
I would hate it, if local folk can’t be part of it, or see money being reinvested back to local community initiatives.
She has no idea what’s going on in Israel, please try to help stop this war by looking at both sides and understanding rather than. Taking sides and making the situation more hostile. The people of Israel want peace, the people of Palestine want peace so let’s work with both sides to give them peace. It’s so challenging but we must try.
If the people of Israel were honest they would give back what they stole 76years ago and since and apply for a residence permit from the PLA. Arabs dint hate Jews they hate the Zionist credo and all who support it as just. All Zionists are not Jews and vjce versa. We all dislike those who choose to rob us and hate those who kill our loved ones in the process!
.
I think you’ll find the Jews were given that land by the Brits after WW2 as a result of the appalling atrocities of the Holocaust. This was so they actually have a place to live and avoid discrimination that they have been receiving from idiots like us around the world for years and years. I think anyone with a real moral outlook on life would see who the bad guys are here, and I don’t think there is EVER a justifiable reason for ANYONE to rape, torture or burn people alive. EVER. No wonder Israel are fighting back, no wonder!… Read more »
The land was given to form Israel and I agree that it was wrong. The best has to be made of a situation where there are now people who just want war and won’t negotiate, this is on both sides. We need to understand the History of this land and respect it. The history goes back to Abraham who out of him came Jewdism and Islam the two are from the same heart it been corrupted by greed and anger.
Peace is the only answer and to live side by side and except that the land belongs to both.
Due Diligence gives way to making a splash…
Well done , beautiful voice, and beautiful heart. God bless you. Xx
Charlotte who?
Trying to remain relevant when being passed by the musical world.