Nish Kumar and Charlotte Church have withdrawn to support a campaign against fossil fuels.
Hay Festival has suspended its sponsorship with an investment management firm “in light of claims raised by campaigners and intense pressure on artists to withdraw”.
Noted figures including comedian Nish Kumar, singer Charlotte Church and Labour MP Dawn Butler have pulled out of the literary festival in Wales, taking place until June 2.
It comes after the campaign group Fossil Free Books called upon Baillie Gifford to “divest from the fossil fuel industry”, claiming in a statement that the company “currently has between £2.5-5 billion invested in the fossil fuel industry and nearly £10 billion invested in companies with direct or indirect links to Israel’s defence, tech and cybersecurity industries.”
Sad to say that I will be pulling out of Hay to support this campaign. Love the festival and the people that work in it, but this was the right decision for me. https://t.co/cXO6InzPJi
— Nish Kumar (@MrNishKumar) May 23, 2024
Julie Finch, chief executive of Hay Festival Global, said in a statement that the charity’s first priority is “our audience and our artists.”
Stand-up comic Kumar, 38, announced his withdrawal when he posted a statement from campaign leaders, Fossil Free Books, on X, and said dropping out “was the right decision for me”.
In another statement to social media, Church, 38, who is a pro-Palestinian campaigner, said she was boycotting and not attending the festival “in protest of the artwashing and greenwashing that is apparent in this sponsorship”.
Following a number of withdrawals, Ms Finch said in a statement: “In light of claims raised by campaigners and intense pressure on artists to withdraw, we have taken the decision to suspend our sponsorship from Baillie Gifford.
“Our first priority is to our audience and our artists.
“Above all else, we must preserve the freedom of our stages and spaces for open debate and discussion, where audiences can hear a range of perspectives.
“Hay Festival Global is a charity. We are grateful to all those artists, partners and audiences who engage and contribute to the conversation, on stage and off.
“We look forward to welcoming you this fortnight, in person and online.”
A Fossil Free Books organiser said: “This announcement shows the power we have when we unite as workers.”
The statement added: “Our primary demand remains that Baillie Gifford divest.”
Baillie Gifford has been approached for comment.