Aggressive anti-fossil fuel activism has led to a funding crisis for the arts in Scotland.
Tony Lankester, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, described the sponsorship landscape as a “minefield”, while Allan Little, the chairman of the Edinburgh International Book Festival has warned that the future of major events is “in jeopardy” without the support of private partners.
The crisis was triggered by the withdrawal of Baillie Gifford, a leading Edinburgh-based investment firm, from a string of cultural partnerships after sustained pressure from climate activists.
The company ended its 20-year sponsorship of the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) last year following a campaign by Fossil Free Books, a protest group that accused the firm of profiting from fossil fuel investments — claims the company denies.
The campaign included open letters signed by hundreds of authors, threats of boycotts and speaker withdrawals. High-profile acts of protest included climate activist Greta Thunberg pulling out of an event at the 2023 book festival.
Baillie Gifford subsequently severed ties with nine other major literary festivals, including Hay Festival.
“Corporate sponsors are very risk-averse,” Lankester told The Stage.
“They will walk away from any environment that is contentious, that is fractious, that is noisy, that is high risk. Arts organisations are — almost by definition — all of those things.”