“Long free Palestine!”, It was the shout with which Resident culminated the statement with which last July announced the cancellation of its performances in the FIB and Morriña, for the linking of both festivals with the investment fund with interests in Israel Kkr. It was not the only one. Judeline, Caliphate 3/4, Samantha Hudson and Mushkaa were other names that decided to get off of this and other macroeventos for their involvement with the aforementioned company.
The link between KKR and the competitions is related to Supersruct Entertainment, the owner of more than thirty Spanish festivals, which was acquired by this risk capital firm last year for 1.3 billion euros.
What is Kkr
KKR is an investment fund that was founded in the United States in 1976 and since then it has become one of the main names of this industry. With own or third -party funds, these signatures are dedicated to investing in companies with the idea of reselling them in the medium term, between six and eight years. It was created by the cousins and businessmen Henry Kravis and George Roberts with Jerome Kolhberg, three Americans of Jewish descent.
What does Kkr have to do with Israel
The link between KKR and Israel has to do with the activities of other companies it has. Among them, Axel Springer, of which he is the main investor since 2019. It is a German media conglomerate – as The world, Business Insider y Bild– and technology, which appears within the list prepared for years by the think tank Who Profits of companies that are profiting with the Israeli occupation. Through its subsidiary AVIV Group GmbH, it owns the Israeli company YAD2 Internet ADS, an advertisement website that offers more than 3,000 properties for sale and rent in the busy West, eastern Jerusalem and the Golán highs.
According to a medium investigation The InterceptYAD2 published in December 2023 an announcement in an Israeli economic newspaper that presented a map of the territories occupied with real estate properties marked with pins. The advertising was titled 'From the river to the sea', referring to the motto that proportorous activists and the Palestinians themselves use to claim the right over the lands of which they were expelled by Israel. “Yad2 helps you look forward and build a future in your next home in Israel!” Added the campaign.
The Intercept investigation motivated the Jerusalem Legal and Human Rights Center to present a demand against Axel Springer, accusing the company to “contribute to the monitoring of land and abuse of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory” through YAD2, which is also a job portal.
The web contains offers for private security services in control stalls and settlements also in the holiday occupied as those offered by the T&M Protection Resources company. As well as vacancies for the Allenby bridge guards, the only access that Palestinian residents of the West Bank to travel abroad, controlled by the SB SB Shmira Ubioton company, according to Whooprofits. These offers are still available, as this newspaper has been able to verify. One of those that is currently open warns that security inspectors are needed for land border crossings in the state of Israel and among their functions detail the “public review and their luggage through technological means, observations and scannings in busy areas and a dynamic work environment.”
Other companies acquired by KKR are related to the provision of weapons, specifically Novaria and Circor. The first acquired three years ago –as they themselves reported– Stroco manufacturing, INC, whose clients are Boeing and Lockheed Martin. These two companies were indicated by the report 'The armed banking and its co -responsibility in the genocide in Gaza'prepared by the JM Delàs Peace Studies Centeramong those that provide weapons and ammunition to Israel. This report – which echoed echoedia.es– was already carried out, was carried out by analyzing 3,606 financial operations between banks and 15 companies whose weapons have been identified by testimonies in the field to commit war crimes in Gaza.
How it affects the festivals that KKR is a shareholder
“KKR is one more shareholder of the others that make up the shareholding structure. The festivals operate with autonomy and continue to do what they were doing. There is no relationship, they do not give guidelines and do not get into businesses, just like the rest of the shareholders,” he clarifies to Eldiario.It is a spokesperson for Supersruct. It also ensures that the money raised will not imply a rise in the dividends of the shareholders – including KKR -, since “everything is going to reinvest in the festivals themselves.”
The publication of the research on the link between the Risk Capital and Israel firm carried out by The jump In mid -May, it caused that immediately public debate was generated in this regard, with assistants of the festivals wondering if they went to them would be somehow supporting Israel, and involvement of the artists themselves, among which a wave of concert cancellations occurred. The macroeventos indicated were the superstruct dependents, and among them are the Sónar, Viña Rock, Resurrection Fest, Monegros, Arenal Sound, Love The Twenties, Granada Sound and Córdoba Fest. Brava Madrid or Madrid also, which were held last weekend.
What has been the reaction of the festivals
Both Brava Madrid and Madrid wild shared the same statement on their social networks: “We condemn the genocide that the Palestinian people are suffering in Gaza and the famine situation suffered by its citizens.” In their text they assured that they have no “commercial or economic link with the state of Israel”. His words were in the line of the first festivals that raised the voice last May, including Sónar, Viña Rock and the promoter Sharemusic!, Which also unchecked from KKR and denounced the “violence towards the Palestinian people.” “We have condemned the genocide, we call it by name,” insists the spokesman for Supersruct.
Although they ensure that the macroeventos have not resentful in terms of the audience, yes several of them lost artists of their posters. The Sónar fell 28 artists, despite the statement they issued from the organization, expressing “their solidarity with the Palestinian civilian population caught in the humanitarian catastrophe that is lived in Gaza.” Animistic Beliefs, Jeisson Dreth, Mаgdalena Petrova and Ratri Notosduardjo are some of those who decided not to participate.
“We want to express with total clarity that Sónar is disconnected from any KKR action. We have no interference or, of course, any control over their investments or decisions,” they then said from the macroeventant in their social networks. In the same line was Viña Rock – from which names such as Fermín Muguruza, the Marras, Sinkope and Non Konforme -, who affirmed in his networks that condemns “without nuances the massacre that the Palestinian people are suffering”, or the resurrection fest, in which they showed their “solidarity with them in this serious crisis, where they suffer the consequences of the war and the consequences of the violation of human rights ”.
What the artists have done
KKR's entry as a Superstruct shareholder affects the festivals, the public and also the artists, among which the answers have been disparate. There are as a resident, who immediately issued a statement canceling their actions. Same path for which other figures such as Judeline, Samantha Hudson, Camelos, Jimena Amarillo, Los Prados, Porretas and Free City, among others.
In turn, there have been bands and singers who have maintained their names in the posters without making any commentary about it, or taking advantage of their concerts to launch messages on the stage. This was the case of Love of Lesbian in the FIB, where its singer Santi Balmes said that “if a town that 80 years ago was the victim of a genocide and now in the 21st century it commits another, has a problem of memory and on the way has lost humanity.”
There are at the same time as Zahara, who in his social networks explained that he could not suspend his actions this year because he would imply “assuming possible legal and economic consequences linked to a signed contract” to which he could not face. “Of course, next year I will not play at any festival linked to KKR, but with all my regret this year I can't avoid them,” he said.