An Irish folk group was removed mid-set from a UK music festival after unfurling a Palestinian flag and leading a pro-Palestine chant.
The Mary Wallopers were just 20 minutes into their Friday performance at Victorious Festival in Portsmouth when microphones were cut and the band were ushered off stage.
The incident came immediately after the group held up a Palestinian flag and began chants of ‘Free Palestine.’
Footage shared online shows crowds booing as the stage fell silent.
The band later confirmed the disruption on Instagram, writing: ‘Just got cut off at Victorious Festival for having a Palestinian flag on the stage. We’ve been doing this for 6 years now and this has never happened before. Free Palestine all day every day.’
Fans quickly voiced anger on social media. One audience member posted: ‘They pulled the plug on the Mary Wallopers because they had a Palestine flag on stage. Organisers are serious cowards.’
Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap publicly backed the group, writing on X: ‘Speak up against genocide in England and you’re treated like a criminal. Up the Mary Wallopers. Free Palestine.’
The Mary Wallopers, known for their politically outspoken performances, have consistently voiced support for Palestine. Last year they headlined the Gig for Gaza fundraising concert.
Festival organisers, however, disputed the band’s account of events. In a statement to Metro, Victorious Festival said they had reminded the group of its ‘long-standing policy of not allowing flags of any kind at the event’ but emphasised that the show was not stopped at that point.
The spokesperson continued: ‘The decision by the event management to cut the sound and end the performance was only taken after the band used a chant which is widely understood to have a discriminatory context.
‘To be clear, we respect the right of artists to use their platform to express their views within the inclusive nature of the event, and it was not the band’s call to ‘Free Palestine’ which resulted in this outcome.’
What’s going on in Palestine?
Since Israel began its military campaign in Gaza after the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023, nearly 60,000 people have been killed – the vast majority civilians, including women, children, and infants, according to health authorities in Gaza.
Newly released images reveal the extent of the devastation, with entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble, the landscape blanketed in dust and ash.
On 25 July, a United Nations official warned that Palestinians in Gaza are starting to resemble ‘walking corpses,’ as Israel continues to impose severe limits on food and humanitarian aid, following an 11-week total blockade earlier this year.
The situation in Gaza is worsening by the hour, prompting more than 100 international aid organisations to warn of targeted ‘mass starvation’.
Photos of starving Palestinians, some of them babies, have emerged from Gaza in the past weeks, sparking public outcry for intervention in the conflict, which is about to enter its third year.
Israel has denied any responsibility for what experts have deemed a famine, despite controlling the flow of all aid into the enclave.
This controversy comes after Kneecap’s Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known by his stage name Mo Chara, was charged with an alleged terror offence in relation to the group’s pro-Palestine statements.
The rapper, 27, is one of the founding members of the West Belfast hip hop group, which has found itself in the spotlight in recent months.
In May, O’ hAnnaidh was charged over an incident at a gig in the O2, where he’s been accused of displaying a flag in support of the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party, Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK.
The next month, he appeared in the Westminster Magistrate’s Court for the first time, only speaking briefly to confirm his name before being released on bail.
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After several hours in court on August 20, it was announced that the judge would not be announcing his judgement, despite saying he was ‘conscious and anxious’ that a ‘speedy resolution’ is wanted.
‘I will reserve my judgment for a couple of weeks,’ he told the court.
Victorious Festival continues throughout the weekend with headliners including Kaiser Chiefs, Kings of Leon and Vampire Weekend.
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