The Scouts have cancelled a vegan music festival booking at one of its premises following warnings regarding the anti-Israel rhetoric of some of the bands headlining the event.
The Great Vegan Gathering was due to hold the event at the Scouts’ Gilwell Park in Epping Forest from August 28 to September 3.
The lineup was set to include acts such as HAWXX, who have a song called Resistance Is Justified; Active Slaughter, whose band member wears a shirt labelled “FCK IOF” [Israeli Occupation Forces, an acronym used by critics of the IDF], and Millie Manders and the Shutup, whose performance material features Hamas’ inverted red triangle.
Lobbying group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) wrote to Scouts alerting them to the risk of allowing the festival to go ahead with these groups.
UKLFI told the JC: “Particular concern was raised over HAWXX’s song Resistance Is Justified. UKLFI argued that the slogan, in the context of the Israel-Gaza conflict, was liable to be understood as endorsing violent ‘resistance’ rather than peaceful political protest.
“UKLFI also highlighted an Active Slaughter song entitled It’s Not Antisemitic To Hate Fascists, which accuses Israeli forces of killing ‘for fun’ and planting knives beside injured Palestinian teenagers.
UKLFI said such claims “went beyond criticism of Israeli policy and were capable of stirring up hatred against Israelis”.
"[We] also cited social media posts describing Israeli forces as ‘psychopaths’ and an image of a band member wearing a T-shirt bearing the words ‘FCK IOF’ alongside an inverted red triangle” the group added.
The inverted triangle has been used in Hamas propaganda to identify Israeli personnel or vehicles being targeted.
UKLFI continued: “Millie Manders and the Shutup was accused of repeatedly portraying Israel as genocidal, colonialist and fascist. [We] cited posts claiming Israel was ‘wiping out Palestinians daily’ and material featuring the inverted triangle symbol.”
The Scouts subsequently confirmed that the festival was no longer going ahead following an internal review, but would not confirm whether this was initiated by UKLFI’s complaint.
A spokesperson from the Scouts told the JC: “A decision has been made to cancel the hire of our venue for The Great Vegan Gathering at Gilwell Park.
“Following the initial confirmation of the booking, we conducted a review into some actions taken by the event organisers. The review concluded that these actions were not consistent with Scout values or our venue hire policies.
“As a result, we have informed the organisers that the event will not proceed at Gilwell Park.
“We remain committed to ensuring that all activity taking place at our venues reflects our values and supports an inclusive, respectful and welcoming environment for everyone.”
When approached by the JC, Millie Manders from Millie Manders and the Shutup said: “My band and I are proud to support justice for all animals and humans. This includes opposing Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, a position shared by millions of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and atheists – people from every background.
“We are equally proud to have raised funds for Médecins Sans Frontières [Doctors Without Borders] and our trans siblings, in addition to hosting animal rights activist and mental health charity representatives at our shows.”
Active Slaughter singer JJ Maguire also responded, saying: “My Jewish grandad escaped persecution in Nazi Germany, but many of his family members were murdered.
“It’s with him in mind that I founded a band which, in keeping with punk traditions, refuses far-right politics wherever it rears its head and stands with the Palestinian people.
“I was absolutely appalled to learn that UKLFI had mounted an attack on a festival hoping to raise funds for animal sanctuaries. Anyone with any sense of decency can see how wrong it is to target an event like that.”
HAWXX and The Great Vegan Gathering have not responded to the JC’s requests for comment, but did provide statements to anti-Israel outlet Middle East Eye.
HAWXX said: “We stand firmly against attempts to legitimise solidarity with oppressed Palestinians.
“To equate solidarity with the Palestinian people with anything but the pursuit of justice stokes conflict and disrupts efforts for peace," the band continued.
“It puts the Jewish community at more risk and silences Palestinian voices. This is deeply disturbing. Free, free Palestine.”
The Great Vegan Gathering said: “As a festival, we bring together people of all backgrounds from across the world in celebration of being vegan – a way of life that seeks an end to oppression everywhere.
“Our focus is on the animals, and our non-profit event in August was to donate all proceeds to animal sanctuaries. As opponents of animal suffering, we naturally also stand resolute against violations of human rights, whether in Britain, Sudan, or Palestine – where Israeli bombing has killed untold numbers of humans and animals alike.
“It is deeply disappointing that the Scout Association withdrew our venue booking just weeks before the event after correspondence from anti-Palestinian group UK Lawyers for Israel, which has repeatedly attacked cultural events and organisations.”
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