From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Allianz halts sponsorship of Spain fest due to criticism of its ties to Israel
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Allianz has suspended its sponsorship of one of Spain’s top cultural events after celebrities threatened a boycott over the German insurance giant’s ties to Israel, organizers say.
“Allianz is today the world’s largest buyer of Israeli state bonds and, therefore, an essential financial backer of the ongoing genocide,” the celebrities said in a statement, referring to the Gaza war launched after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre in Israel.
They said they would snub the annual Festival of Ideas in Madrid unless it committed to “not accepting economic support, in this or future editions, from companies that collaborate with the State of Israel in the destruction of the Palestinian people.”
The more than 20 celebrities included Oscar-nominated Spanish director Rodrigo Sorogoyen.
The festival announces in a statement that it agreed with Allianz to suspend the sponsorship of the event, due to run for four days from Thursday, in which acclaimed British writer Zadie Smith is set to take part.
“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 reads.
The Times of Israel Community.