Posted in: C2E2, Conventions, Emerald City Comic Con, Events, NYCC, Pop Culture, Star Wars: Celebration | Tagged: BookCon, mcm, ReedPOP

ReedPOP Responds to Threatened Boycotts Over Relationship to ICE

ReedPOP of NYCC, C2E2, ECCC, MCM, Star Wars Celebration, BookCon, and MagicCon has responded to boycott threats over its relationship with ICE

Last month, comic convention organisers ReedPOP, best known for shows such as MCM, NYCC, C2E2, ECCC, Star Wars Celebration, SuperCon, and Book Con, as well as the news website Popverse, came under fire over the company's relationship with the USA's immigration agency, ICE. A body that has been the subject of severe criticism in recent headlines. And so a campaign and potential boycott had been launched, calling on Star Wars Celebration to divest itself from ICE.

ReedPOP is owned by the company RELX, the owners of which run a company called LexisNexis, a company accused of providing data analytics tools and services to ICE, aiding in surveillance, enforcement, and deportation efforts through contracts worth millions, to use when deporting suspected illegal immigrants. While ReedPOP itself isn't directly contracted with ICE, the boycott argues that attending their events indirectly supports these practices via the parent company's revenue streams.

In response, ReedPOP stated that "We hear you and want to correct some false information that has been circulating on social media. We at ReedPop do not sell customer information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ReedPop/RX [Reed Exhibitions] operates entirely at arm's length and independently. None of our data is shared for marketing or commercial use by any other entity within our parent company. We remain committed to creating safe, inclusive, and welcoming environments. Our community is made up of people from different backgrounds and identities. We stand by our principles of inclusion and belonging. We see you, we hear you, and all are welcome here." In other communication, they stated, "There will be no ICE recruitment booths at any ReedPop events, nor are we aware of any planned ICE activity at our events. Any law enforcement action inside our events requires a valid warrant, as we are a private event."

It was noted that this did not directly address the concern about revenue streams, and one attendee also pointed out that "ReedPop claims that they do not sell information directly to RELX, yet on the RX (Reed Exhibitions) global policy it specifically lists RELX as one of the many possible affiliates that has access to the data RX collects. RELX has profited almost $200 MILLION from DHS/ICE contracts. ReedPop is still under RX which is a partner to RELX." They continue, "The point of the boycott is to demand SWC and all other events organized by ReedPop select a different organizer. There is no justification for these events to be put on by a company that has direct association with those that are profiting from ICE. Therefore fans are demanding that Lucasfilm and all other conventions select a new organizer that has zero ties to ICE to put on the event."

Such a demand, however, wouldn't be applicable to NYCC, ECCC, C2E2 or MCM, shows that ReedPOP own in their entirety and without license. And attendees of other shows are questioning whether they will attend or not, such as  MagicCon where Reddit users highlighted ReedPop's role in hosting MagicCon events, urging fellow players to reconsider attendance amid the ICE connections, while BookCon has faced similar scrutiny, with users debating the ethics of supporting a company linked to LexisNexis, even if countless other businesses use the service.  Developing…

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