Nish Kumar pulls out of Hay Festival over sponsors’ financial links to Israel
Nish Kumar objects to Hay's sponsorship deal with Baillie Gifford, an investment firm with links to Israel - Ellis O'Brien
Nish Kumar, the comic writer and performer, has pulled out of the Hay Festival in protest at one of its chief sponsors’ financial links to Israel.
Grace Blakeley, the economics commentator, has also withdrawn from an event she was due to headline at the festival, prompting fears dozens of other performers and writers could follow suit.
Kumar and Blakeley have said they object to Hay’s sponsorship deal with Baillie Gifford, an investment firm with links to Israel.
The firm, which campaigners say has nearly £10 billion in companies with links to Israel’s defence, tech and cybersecurity industries, including Nvidia, Amazon and Alphabet, has come under fire from pro-Palestine activists following the start of the Gaza conflict and Israel’s response to the Oct 7 attacks by Hamas.
More than 600 writers and publishing industry professionals have signed a statement by campaign group Fossil Free Books (FFB) which demands Baillie Gifford “divest from the fossil fuel industry and from companies that profit from Israeli apartheid, occupation and genocide”.
Kumar confirmed his decision on Thursday when he reposted the FFB statement on X, formerly Twitter, before adding: “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.”
The growing boycott of Hay comes after Dawn Butler, the Labour MP, withdrew from her scheduled appearance at the festival over its sponsorship by Baillie Gifford.
The move threatens to mar what is one of the UK’s most well known and respected book festivals, which has drawn hundreds of best-selling and landmark authors since it began in 1988.
Ms Butler said in a video posted to X that she was withdrawing from the literary festival because Baillie Gifford is “involved directly or indirectly in technology and arms in Israel”.
Noreen Masud and AK Blakemore, the writers, Tori Tsui, the climate activist, and Ania Magliano, the comedian, have also withdrawn from the festival, which began on Thursday.
‘Profit from fossil fuels’
Ms Blakemore said that the publishing industry “shouldn’t be used to garner prestige by companies that profit from fossil fuels or the ongoing assault on Palestine”.
Hay has defended its sponsorship links with Baillie Gifford.
In a statement Julie Finch, CEO of Hay Festival Global, said: “Like so many charities, we are operating amongst huge financial uncertainty. Sponsorship is a complex ethical space to navigate.
“In all of our funding agreements, we maintain editorial independence with a focus on delivering our charitable mission. We believe ideas can change the world and bring together diverse voices to listen, talk, debate, and create, tackling the biggest political, social and environmental challenges of our time. We believe more than ever that creating spaces to listen, talk and debate is critical to find solutions to our shared problems.”
It added: “This week, Fossil Free Books has issued a statement asking authors to boycott our next edition in protest over one of our sponsors, Baillie Gifford, and their investment portfolio. Their statement has been challenged by Baillie Gifford.
“We have requested additional information from Baillie Gifford and continue to work to safeguard our events as free and respectful platforms for exchanging ideas. We remain committed to reaching the widest possible audiences through our work and presenting one of a kind events in the heart of the Welsh countryside.”
Baillie Gifford also sponsors the Edinburgh international book festival, the Cheltenham literature festival and the Baillie Gifford prize for non-fiction. The Edinburgh book festival has confirmed that both Ms Blakemore and Ms Masud were invited but neither will be appearing.
Multinational technology companies
The firm said that it is a large investor in multinational technology companies such as Amazon, Nvidia and Meta “that have commercial dealings with the state of Israel that are tiny in the context of their overall business”.
Baillie Gifford said that it is a small investor in three companies identified as having “connections to the Israeli state or activities in the occupied territories”, and that Baillie Gifford has been “engaging” with those companies.
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