Artist calls for SXSW boycott over deportation threat to curb unofficial shows
South by Southwest is taking draconian measures to force international artists to desist from staging unofficial shows, by threatening to notify US immigration authorities at risk of immediate deportation, revoking their passports and denial of entry at US borders.
The measures were first revealed in a tweet by artist Told Slant, who shared the contract he was asked to sign by SXSW alongside his decision to cancel a scheduled performance.
After looking through this contract sent to me by sxsw I have decided to cancel Told Slant's performance at the festival pic.twitter.com/rI2Xv0duJl
— Told Slant (@Felixixix666) March 2, 2017
The message, which has been retweeted over three thousand times, led to calls for artists to boycott the festival in protest.
Seeking to head off these concerns SXSW managing director Roland Swenson responded to the furore by reiterating his opposition to Trump’s controversial travel ban, but added: “We understand that given the current political climate surrounding immigration, the language that was published seems strong. Violating U.S. immigration law has always carried potentially severe consequences, and we would be remiss not to warn our participating acts of the likely repercussions.”
SXSW artists have long played unofficial gigs in tandem to the main events in order to maximise their exposure in Austin.