Rewild Festival Organisers Under Fire For Inviting IOF Soldier

Rewild Festival, held in Kerry this weekend, has come under fire after screenshots show organisers dismissing concerns over the attendance of an IOF soldier, then backtracking on it and banning him following public pressure. 

Screenshots from the festival’s organising groupchat seen by Aontacht Media show IOF soldier Yonatan Prigozin, who confirmed that he has served in the genocidal army, was due to attend the event. 

Aontacht Media understands that the IOF militant was invited by his friend Poppy Copland who owns a 10% stake in Rewild Festival.

When concerns were raised with organisers, they responded in a dismissive manner, and doubled-down on his attendance, before making a u-turn. 

“Yes, he is welcome, “ said one organiser in the WhatsApp groupchat, adding that “if you are uncomfortable with that, you are free not to attend” in a DM, while another sent a 21 second long-voice message claiming that raising concerns is inappropriate, as the IOF soldier “is a friend of the main organiser, and it is not your place to be raising these concerns”.

When public pressure piled on, the festival released a statement, affirming that IOF soldiers are banned from the event, but shirked responsibility by calling the matter “online speculation”, despite the IOF soldier confirming himself in a DM that he did in fact serve in the Israeli army. 

In response, artists have begun pulling out of the festival, and widespread condemnation of the incident has taken place on social media. 

"Israel is a vibrant democracy that encompasses a wide spectrum of opinions, ranging from diverse Zionist perspectives to non-Zionist ones. Zionism itself, far from the caricature presented in online echo chambers, is a movement deeply rooted in the secular, liberal, and democratic values of late 19th-century Eastern Europe. While boycotting is a legitimate, non-violent form of protest, its manifestation in the social media era has unfortunately degenerated. It frequently reduces complex, deeply painful historical conflicts into childish, black-and-white narratives. Over the last few days, I have been subjected to an overwhelming wave of hostility, much of it fueled by outdated, early 20th-century conspiracy theories that belong in history's darker chapters. Do not fuel the cycle of hate.
My response is not about the personal disappointment of missing a festival; it is a sober, saddened observation of modern discourse. I urge people to educate themselves and study the history of this region before choosing the path of hate, and to seek a genuine understanding of what is actually required to bring this tragic conflict to an end. Finally, to those living in Ireland who have never experienced the reality of conflict zones firsthand: becoming an activist is a personal choice. Do not aggressively impose your ideology on your friends and community, as was sadly done here. No one owns the absolute truth, " said Prigozin in a statement to Aontacht Media.