Exclusive:Activists 'wanted to put' Edinburgh International Book Festival out of business over Baillie Gifford sponsorship

The Edinburgh International Book Festival has denied that it "caved in to bullying" by dropping Baillie Gifford as its main sponsor – but insisted environment campaigners were determined to put the event "out of business" this summer.

Allan Little, chair of the festival’s board, said the event was left facing an “existential crisis” and could have “fallen apart” before it opened this August after it was targeted by activists.

He accused campaigners of putting a "toxic smell on blameless people in a climate of cancel culture" by suggesting Baillie Gifford-backed literary festivals, their staff and guest writers of being "complicit in genocide.”

Baillie Gifford was forced to hold crisis talks with organisers of nine UK events after activists vowed to escalate action over the company’s links with the fossil fuel companies, as well Israel's defence, tech and cybersecurity industries.

Speaking at the Edinburgh book festival’s programme launch, Mr Little, a long-serving BBC foreign affairs correspondent, insisted Baillie Gifford were "not the bad guys,” and said he felt “affronted” that the event had been accused of “not caring about genocide” due to his own personal experiences.

In his speech, Mr Little described Edinburgh festivals as a “peace project” which was instigated in the aftermath of the Second World War and the book festival’s modern-day role in providing a “a quiet, thoughtful space in which to listen to each other" at a time when public discourse was "increasingly polarised, angry, self-righteous, condemnatory, absolutist and shouty."

He later told The Scotsman he wanted he wanted to “extend a hand” to the activists who had campaigned against Baillie Gifford’s sponsorship of the event.

Allan Little, chair of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, speaking at the launch of its 2024 programme. Picture: Roberto Ricciuti

He said: “We want to listen to them and would like them to listen to us.”

Last week the Edinburgh event announced the end of its 20-year partnership with Baillie Gifford, due to the “threat of disruption from activists,” the withdrawal of several writers, and concerns over the safety of its audiences, authors and staff.

Mr Little said the 41-year-old event was forced to act after seeing the significant impact of the Hay Festival in Wales, which he said was hit by a “flood” of late call-offs after writers were targeted by activists via email, social media and WhatsApp messages. It later announced the suspension of its Baillie Gifford sponsorship, “citing the intense pressure on artists to withdraw.”

Mr Little said: “Activists in Fossil Free Books and Art Workers for Palestine accused Baillie Gifford of having substantial investments in oil and gas, and of investing in companies which operate in Israel, and accused the Hay Festival of what they call complicity in genocide.

Allan Little, chair of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, speaking at the launch of its 2024 programme. Picture: Roberto Ricciuti

"They took that word and pinned it on a book festival, on its staff and any individual author willing to appear. When you do that you put a toxic smell on blameless people, in a climate of cancel culture.

"By the Friday morning of the first week there were so many withdrawals that the programme was falling apart in the director's hands and the festival was collapsing. They calculated they would lose hundreds of thousands of pounds in ticket refunds.

"We saw how the activists had the power and determination to put a book festival out of business and we knew they intended to do the same with us.”

Mr Little said the festival had tried to engage with the campaigners who had targeted the event, but insisted they “did not want to listen.”

The Edinburgh International Book Festival has announced the end of its 20-year partnership with main sponsor Baillie Gifford.

He added: “I cannot properly convey the depths to which I’m saddened at what has happened, but it was a pragmatic response to an immediate and existential crisis.

"Some have argued that we caved in to bullying and made the wrong decision. But we couldn't ask our staff to spend the next 10 weeks in this atmosphere preparing for a festival that would begin to fall apart even before it had opened.”

Mr Little, who will be standing down as chair after this year’s festival, said: “I have three months left in this role after a decade. I will do everything I can to hold our book festival family together. We will need your sustaining help.”