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Supporters of the political campaign to boycott literary and arts festivals have been fiercely criticised by culture secretary Lisa Nandy, who has accused them of “gagging society, self defeating virtue signalling and moral Puritanism”.
Ms Nandy rejects claims by campaigners that their protest is aimed at sponsors linked to Israel and fossil fuel companies – and not the festivals themselves.
Such a notion is “for the birds”, she argues.
Her intervention in the inaugural Jennie Lee lecture comes after a number of festivals, including the internationally renowned Hay Festival, ended sponsorship by the Baillie Gifford investment management firm.
Singer Charlotte Church and comedian Nish Kumar were among those who pulled out of last year’s Hay Festival over its connection to Baillie Gifford.
In a speech marking the 60th anniversary of Labour’s Jennie Lee, Britain’s first arts minister, Ms Nandy condemns “the farce that is the moral puritanism which is killing off our arts and culture”.
People are right to be angered by “protests against any or every sponsor of the arts”, she says.
Ms Nandy continues: “In every social protest you have to ask, who is your target? The idea that boycotting the sponsor of the Hay Festival harms the sponsor, not the festival is for the birds.
“And I have spent enough time at Hay, Glastonbury and elsewhere to know that these are the spaces – the only spaces – where precisely the moral voice and protest comes from.
“Boycotting sponsors, and killing them off, is the equivalent of gagging society. This self defeating virtue signalling is a feature of our times.”
Ms Nandy also accuses TV and filmmakers of showing a distorted view of working class people, who she says are too often portrayed in dramas involving crime and killing.
In remarks likely to be seen as aimed at TV series such as Peaky Blinders, Ms Nandy said the whole nation “must see themselves at the centre of their own and our national story”.
“That’s a challenge for our broadcasters and filmmakers.
“Show us the full panoply of the world we live in, including the many communities far distant from the commissioning room which is still far too often based in London.
“But it’s also a challenge for every branch of the arts, including the theatre, dance, music, painting and sculpture.
“Let’s show working class communities too – and not just featuring in murder and gangland crime series.”
