Exclusive:Scottish writers criticise 'perverse' protest over Edinburgh book festival as Baillie Gifford sponsorship ends

Dozens of Scotland’s top writers have criticised the ”perverse” and “deeply retrograde” impact of protests over the sponsorship of Edinburgh International Book Festival. Close to 70 celebrated authors, including Val McDermid, Liz Lochead, Jackie Kay, Chris Brookmyre, Andrew O’Hagan and Alexander McCall Smith, have signed an open letter raising concerns about the campaign and the future of the festival.

The letter was signed on Thursday as the Edinburgh International Book Festival ended its 20-year funding partnership with sponsors Baillie Gifford amid pressure from climate change protesters.

The sponsorship of the Edinburgh-based firm had been highlighted last year, with climate change activist Greta Thunberg cancelling an appearance at the event over the company’s fossil fuel investments. The ending of the funding partnership followed a similar decision by the Hay festival in Wales last week.

In the open letter, sent exclusively to The Scotsman, the writers said they were “profoundly concerned” about the fate of the UK’s book festivals and other cultural events, and the “likely consequences” of calls for boycotts related to festival sponsorship by Baillie Gifford.

It said: “In particular we are deeply concerned about the future of the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF). As citizens, we are absolutely right to keep up the pressure for fossil fuel divestment. We also call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for the release of hostages.

“However, a strategy of protest which results in EIBF being left without a principal sponsor will jeopardise its future: this would be a Pyrrhic victory, and merely deprive writers and activists of platform and influence.”

The co-signatories said book festivals offered an opportunity for writers and readers to come together in the free and civil exchange of ideas, including those who faced discrimination or harassment in their home countries

“For this vital cultural work, we require a cultural infrastructure. We believe that boycotts which threaten such platforms, and which pressure other writers to comply, are deeply retrograde,” the letter said.

“Protest is, of course, our right and duty, but protest actions that risk the collapse of book festivals are ill-thought-out.  For whom, exactly, would this be a victory? To have any effect on investment practices we must exert the kind of influence only friends have over each other.

“We believe that story-telling, witness, theatre, poetry, conversation, reading and argumentation are crucial to this process, and that it would be perverse to destroy the means of our own political leverage and influence.”

The letter concludes with a call for writers and book workers to “engage in dialogue to find ethically acceptable solutions whereby our festivals are not silenced”.

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Meghan Gallacher MSP said: “Many people will share the concerns of these leading authors that legitimate protests and objections are now far too often being hijacked by extreme activists to shut down debate.

“A book festival, of all things, should be for the free exchange of views. Of course people should be free to object, protest or refuse to participate themselves, but blanket demands to shut down funding or bully those involved are illiberal and counter-productive.”

In April, the new director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Jenny Niven, warned Scotland was at risk of losing arts events “every other week” without more public funding for culture, and revealed she would have to scale back the event’s programme if it severed links with Baillie Gifford. On Thursday, she said: “The pressure on our team has simply become intolerable. We have a major global festival starting in ten weeks’ time and we need to focus all of our efforts and energy on delivering a safe and successful event for our audiences.

“Undermining the long-term future of charitable organisations such as book festivals is not the right way to bring about change.”

Campaign group Fossil Free Books welcomed the decision, with a statement saying: “Our primary demand has always been for Baillie Gifford to divest, and for festivals to use their relationships with Baillie Gifford to call on the firm to divest.”

Nick Thomas, a partner at Baillie Gifford, said: “Our collaboration with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, spanning decades, was rooted in our shared interest in making Edinburgh a thriving and culturally vibrant place to live and work.”

Read the full letter

Open letter and signatories

We are writers who are profoundly concerned about the fate of the UK’s book festivals and other cultural events, and the likely consequences of calls for boycotts related to festival sponsorship by Baillie Gifford.

In particular we are deeply concerned about the future of the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF).

As citizens, we are absolutely right to keep up the pressure for fossil fuel divestment. We also call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and for the release of hostages.

However, a strategy of protest which results in EIBF being left without a principal sponsor will jeopardise its future: this would be a Pyrrhic victory, and merely deprive writers and activists of platform and influence.

As public discourse deteriorates and divisions widen, we believe that books and book festivals offer an increasingly rare opportunity for the community of writers and readers to come together in the free and civil exchange of ideas.

Many of our number are actively involved in climate action, environmental and social justice issues.

Book festivals allow writers subject to discrimination or harassment in their home countries to have their work and their cases heard (we think of the PEN Imprisoned Writers readings, a daily feature of EIBF).

Invitations to UK book festivals are a way for writers from places of conflict, including Palestine and Ukraine, to travel and share their stories.

For this vital cultural work we require a cultural infrastructure. We believe that boycotts which threaten such platforms, and which pressure other writers to comply, are deeply retrograde.

Protest is of course our right and duty, but protest actions that risk the collapse of book festivals are ill-thought-out.  For whom, exactly, would this be a victory?

To have any effect on investment practices we must exert the kind of influence only friends have over each other.

We believe that story-telling, witness, theatre, poetry, conversation, reading and argumentation are crucial to this process, and that it would be perverse to destroy the means of our own political leverage and influence.

Our work depends on the robustness and integrity of the platforms that allow us to broadcast and promote our words, and to engage and meet our readers.

Without the support of EIBF and other book festivals, and without the spaces provided by theatres and other cultural venues, our voices will merely grow quieter, and our young and emerging writers may never be heard at all.

Here in Scotland we recall that the Edinburgh Festivals – now a global phenomenon – were established as gestures of peace-making after WW2.

The EIBF is a more recent addition, and we are proud of its success and the mutual support it has established with Scottish authors and authors worldwide. If the EIBF loses its long-term sponsor the reach of these authors will be palpably reduced.

We call on writers and book workers to engage in dialogue to find ethically acceptable solutions whereby our festivals are not silenced.

Alan Riach

Alexander McCall Smith

Ali Millar

Alistair Moffat

Andrew Greig

Andrew Neilson

Andrew O’Hagan

Bernard McLaverty

Catherine Czerkawska

Chris Brookmyre

Claudia Daventry

Colin Grant

Dan Richards

David Farrier

David Greig

Denise Mina

Don Paterson

Doug Johnstone

Elaine Morrison

Esa Aldegheri

Ever Dundas

Fiona Rintoul

Gavin Francis

Gerda Stevenson

Gerry Cambridge

Hannah McGill

Prof. Ian Brown

Ian MacPherson

Jackie Kay

James Robertson

Jen Stout

Jenny Colgan

Jenny Lindsay

Jim Crumley

John Glenday

Karine Polwart

Kathleen Jamie

Lesley Harrison

Linda Cracknell

Lisa Brockwell

Liz Lochead

Magi Gibson

Marisa Haetzman

Marjorie Lotfi

Mark Billingham

Merryn Glover

Michael Longley

Neal Ascherson

Niall Campbell

Peter Dorward

Peter Ross

Polly Clark

Raja Shehadeh

Richard Holloway

Ricky Ross

Robert Crawford

Robert Dawson Scott

Rodge Glass

Ron Butlin

Sam Baker

Sara Sheridan

Sarah Moss

Sean O’Brien

Stewart Conn

Stuart Kelly

Sue Lawrence

Tom Pow

Val McDermid

Zinnie Harris