Around sixty artists, including French nationals, are boycotting the Sónar festival in Barcelona in support of the Palestinians.

Is one of the world's largest festivals, Sonar in Barcelona, ​​in danger? In recent weeks, dozens of artists have announced they are canceling their participation in the Sónar festival, which will take place from June 12 to 14 in Barcelona, ​​​​accusing the fund that finances this electronic music event of promoting real estate investments in the occupied Palestinian territories.

"Sónar is one of 80 events owned by Superstruct Entertainment, now majority-owned by private equity giant KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts), who are fully complicit in Israel's genocide in Gaza," wrote some sixty artists in an open letter posted on social media.

Signatories include Arca, Rone x (La)Horde with the Ballet National de Marseille, Asia, DJ Paquita Gordon and Shaun J. Wright.

Accusations of complicity

They are calling on the festival to "distance itself from KKR's complicit investments" and to " respect the guidelines of BDS," the global movement for "boycott, divestment, sanctions against Israel."

BDS accuses the American investment fund KKR of being "complicit in the Israeli genocide and its colonial apartheid regime" because it is one of the main shareholders of the German media group Axel Springer, itself the owner of the Israeli classifieds site Yad2, which advertises real estate projects in the Palestinian territories.

In an attempt to address the growing controversy with new cancellations every day, the festival has created a special Q&A section on its website.

“Superstruct Entertainment, a company with over 80 festivals worldwide, acquired Sónar in 2018. At that time, Providence Equity Partners was Superstruct’s lead investor,” recalls Sónar.

"In October 2024, Providence withdrew and sold its stake to a consortium formed by KKR and more than 90 investors. It was a purely financial transaction, in which we had no say," explains Sónar, who says he "condemns the genocide of the Palestinian people."

"We have never paid and will never pay a single cent to KKR," the festival assured. Contacted by AFP in New York, KKR did not immediately respond.

On May 17, far-left Spanish minister Ernest Urtasun said he was "concerned" by the KKR fund's entry into several Spanish festivals, noting that it "carried out real estate activities in territories illegally occupied by Israel."

"We do not want there to be in our culture a fund that actively participates in the illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel," he continued to the press.

The Spanish government of Socialist Pedro Sánchez recognized the State of Palestine on May 28, 2024, along with Ireland and Norway. In recent months, it has become one of the most critical voices within the European Union toward the Netanyahu government.