Allianz has suspended its sponsorship of one of Spain’s leading cultural gatherings after more than 20 public figures threatened to boycott the event over the German insurer’s links to Israel, organisers said today.
In a statement, the celebrities accused Allianz of being “the world’s largest buyer of Israeli state bonds” and, as a result, “an essential financial backer of the ongoing genocide,” referring to the war in Gaza that followed Hamas’s 2023 attacks on Israel.
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They said they would refuse to attend the annual Festival of Ideas in Madrid unless organisers pledged to accept no financial backing, either in the current edition or future events, from companies that support the Israeli state’s “destruction of the Palestinian people”.
The festival must not “contribute to the whitewashing of the economic actors which allow extermination, occupation and apartheid to take place”, the group said. Among those who signed the statement was Rodrigo Sorogoyen, the Spanish director nominated for an Oscar.
“Both parties agree that the festival should continue to be a space dedicated to the free exchange of ideas, open debate and the diversity of opinions without any external controversy diverting attention from its programme, participants or audience,” the statement read.
Support for the Palestinian cause is widespread in Spain, where Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has emerged as one of the most outspoken European critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Last week, Spain joined 11 other countries, including Ireland, in announcing sanctions targeting trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, amid a rise in attacks by settlers against Palestinians.
In Ireland, some members of the Gaelic Athletic Association have also urged the organisation to sever Allianz’s sponsorship of its Gaelic football and hurling leagues, a partnership that has lasted more than 30 years.
In February, proceedings at the GAA Congress were suspended after protesters entered the hall at Croke Park.
The GAA said last month that it would retain its agreement with Allianz after its Central Council and Management Committee “overwhelmingly agreed” to continue the partnership.
