"Those attending Boiler Room's two-day festival in London's Burgess Park in August may have noticed a troubling message spray-painted on the site's perimeter fence: Boiler Room is owned by Israeli arms investors. In nearby Brockwell Park, which hosted Field Day, Cross the Tracks and Mighty Hoopla three festivals belonging to the same group as Boiler Room graffiti depicted a bomb with the letters KKR emblazoned on it."
"That's because KKR has considerable business interests in Israel, including investments in Axel Springer SE, a German media company that runs classified ads for housing developments in the illegally occupied West Bank. Ravers for Palestine, an anonymously run Instagram page that has backed dozens of boycotts, characterised KKR in a recent post as the beating heart of western capitalism where an insatiable lust for profits and power has no moral boundaries."
KKR acquired Superstruct Entertainment in June 2024, bringing dozens of festivals under private equity ownership. Protest imagery appeared at multiple London festival sites, including graffiti alleging that Boiler Room is owned by Israeli arms investors and a bomb labelled KKR at Brockwell Park. KKR holds investments tied to Israel, including stakes connected to Axel Springer SE, which publishes classified ads for West Bank housing developments. Ravers for Palestine described KKR as driven by profit without moral boundaries. Artists and festivals responded with boycotts and sponsorship withdrawals. Parallel controversies involved investments by Spotify's founder, Barclays and Baillie Gifford leading to music and sponsorship actions.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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