\n It says that Baillie Gifford invests in AeroVironment \u2013 a US-based defence contractor which reportedly makes drones used by the Israeli military \u2013 and Babcock International \u2013 a UK-based arms firm.\n<\/p>\n
\n READ MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>Scottish estate’s \u00a3145 million sale sparks concerns over ‘opaque’ ownership<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n The letter states: \u201cBaillie Gifford have invested over \u00a360 million in Babcock, and in their own financial statements noted Babcock was the top contributor to returns in recent quarters \u2013 thanks to a surge in demand driven by war.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n The open letter goes on: \u201cThis is profit from genocide, redirected into UK cultural institutions like EIF.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cThis is not just business<\/a> \u2013 it is the financing of war crimes.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cBaillie Gifford takes profits from death and destruction and turns them into arts funding for institutions like EIF. This is institutionalised complicity. This is artwashing. No art made from this money is clean.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cEIF\u2019s ongoing partnership with Baillie Gifford is not neutral. It is a choice \u2013 one that ignores the violence against Palestinians and the well-documented supply chains linking Baillie Gifford\u2019s investments to the Israeli war machine.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n \n It concludes: \u201cWe, the undersigned, call on the Edinburgh International Festival to immediately end all partnerships with Baillie Gifford and to publicly commit to refusing funding from institutions profiting from arms, fossil fuels, and genocide.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cThe eyes of the world are on Edinburgh this August. Let this be the moment we choose justice over reputation, integrity over comfort, and solidarity over silence.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n Responding, the EIF refused to end the partnership, arguing that losing the funding would reduce \u201cthe very spaces where difficult conversations, human stories, and critical ideas can be explored\u201d.\n<\/p>\n \n A spokesperson said: \u201cWe share deep public concern about the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The right to speak out about such urgent issues, to protest and demand change, is fundamental to democracy.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n READ MORE:<\/strong>\u00a0Tommy Sheppard: Israel must be made to feel real consequences over Gaza<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cThe role of the international festival is to give voice to artists, creating a platform to ask important questions with nuance and empathy. Our 2025 programme presented\u00a02000 artists from around the world, including Palestinian voices, who tackle many pressing global subjects head-on.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cWe appreciate that views on arts funding are deeply felt, however targeting arts organisations threatens our ability to function, and ultimately reduces the very spaces where difficult conversations, human stories, and critical ideas can be explored. Art can cross boundaries and change minds in ways that politics cannot. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cOur responsibility is to ensure the future of the festival, so that we can continue to be a space for artistic reflection and international reconciliation, while offering transformational experiences to our audiences. To do this we must secure funding from a balanced mix of public and private sources.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cSupport from long standing donors such as Baillie Gifford enables us to sustain our artistic ambition, remain accessible to the widest possible audience, and contribute meaningfully to international dialogue as well as Scotland\u2019s cultural landscape.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n Baillie Gifford declined to comment.\n<\/p>\n \n READ MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>Kenny MacAskill: This is a UK we didn\u2019t see coming back in 2014<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n Last year, the Edinburgh International Book Festival ended its 20-year partnership with Baillie Gifford after pressure due to alleged links to Israel and fossil fuel firms<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n The festival said it had taken the decision after concluding that its ability to run successful events had been \u201cseverely compromised following the withdrawal of several authors and threats of disruption from activists\u201d.\n<\/p>\n \n Also in 2024, the Wigtown Book Festival<\/a> and the Borders Book Festival<\/a> also both ended their relationships with Baillie Gifford after scrutiny of the investment firm.\n<\/p>\n \n According to its website, Baillie Gifford manages \u00a3209 billion in assets and employs 1600 people.![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/18773032.jpg\"\/)
<\/a>\n<\/p>\n
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