Organizers of a music festival in Portsmouth, England have apologized to Irish folks band The Mary Wallopers who declare they were muted throughout their set for displaying a Palestinian flag.
A string of different performers pulled out of the Victorious music festival over the spat, accusing organizers of stifling free speech.
After initially claiming that the band’s peformance was stopped over a “discriminatory” chant, the Victorious music festival issued a press release on Instagram saying sorry and pledging to donate to humanitarian efforts for Palestinians.
“We didn’t handle the explanation of our policies sensitively or far enough in advance to allow a sensible conclusion to be reached,” the assertion seen by British information company PA Media mentioned.
“This put the band and our own team in a difficult situation which never should have arisen. We would like to sincerely apologise to all concerned.”
The assertion continued, “We accept that, although mics remained live for longer, sound for The Mary Wallopers’ audience was cut as described in the band’s video and that comments after that were not audible to the public.”
In a submit on Instagram, the band claimed that they were “cut off” on the festival, “for having a Palestinian flag on the stage,” and referred to as Victorious’ preliminary clarification deceptive.
The band’s assertion continued, “We’ve been doing this for six years now and this has never happened before.”
Edited video from the live performance posted by the band on Instagram present that the Mary Wallopers’ banjo participant Andrew Hendy started the set by saying “Free Palestine, and f**k Israel” earlier than the group launched into one in every of their songs.
Their enjoying continues for a few minute additional, in accordance to the video, when a stagehand seems to come on stage and take away a Palestinian flag that the band had affixed to one in every of its audio system.
Andrew Hendy tells the gang that the band were instructed not to fly a Palestinian flag or they could be reduce off, encouraging viewers members to depart the festival grounds. The banjo participant started chanting “Free Palestine” earlier than his mic was reduce.
Later, video from one other angle reveals the band’s guitarist Charles Hendy asking an individual offscreen whether or not the band might be allowed to proceed enjoying. The response is muffled, however the individual seems to reply that the Palestinian flag wants to be eliminated.
“We’re not playing,” Charles Hendy responds.
“Fine,” the individual offscreen says.
As the band waved to the gang and left the stage, viewers members started chanting “Free Palestine” and “Let them play!”
“People were upset and angry,” mentioned Emma Gaynor, an viewers member who attended the live performance together with her companion. “I didn’t hear anything discriminatory, it all happened very quickly.”
Jess Huxham, one other attendee, mentioned that different bands who performed the festival that day had additionally mentioned “Free Palestine” throughout their units.
“From all I heard,” Huxham mentioned in an e-mail. “[The Mary Wallopers] did say ‘Free Palestine,’ which other bands on the main stage had said before their set.”
The incident comes amid fierce controversy round pro-Palestinian activism and free speech within the UK, with musicians typically on the forefront.
After rap duo Bob Vylan chanted “Death to the IDF” at their Glastonbury Festival set in June, police within the UK launched a criminal investigation. Even the United States authorities weighed in, revoking the band members’ visas forward of their US tour.