“`html
Festival Organizers Acknowledge Pro-Palestine Sentiment Amid Boycott Concerns
Oslo, Norway – Organizers of the Øyafestivalen music festival in Oslo are anticipating visible displays of support for Palestine during the event, even as discussions continue regarding sponsorships from companies linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The festival, scheduled to take place from August 6th to 10th in Tøyenparken, is navigating a complex landscape of pro-Palestine activism adn boycott calls.
festival director, Peggy Kaada, stated that the festival shares common ground with boycott advocates regarding the ultimate goal of ending the conflict, despite differing approaches. “The festival feels that we and those who want boycott really have the same goal, to end genocide, war crimes and hunger in palestine,” Kaada explained. She anticipates both on-stage and audience expressions of solidarity with Palestine, which the festival welcomes.
boycott Movement and Sponsorships
The debate centers around sponsorships, particularly that of Pepsi, a brand visible at the festival sence its inception in 1999 through an agreement with Ringnes, a Norwegian brewing company. While Pepsi’s parent company, Pepsico, appears on some boycott lists, it is notably absent from the official list maintained by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
kaada clarified that Pepsico is not currently listed by the BDS movement, nor is it mentioned in Francesca Albanese‘s recent report, “From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide,” or within the UN Database of Companies contributing to the occupation.
