Turkish authorities have banned a Robbie Williams concert scheduled for October 7 in Istanbul, citing “safety concerns,” a source from the city governor’s office tells AFP, amid outrage that the singer has not boycotted Israel.
The concert would have occurred on the anniversary of the devastating Hamas-led attack in Israel two years ago, in which thousands of terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, triggering the ongoing war in Gaza.
The organizing company announced the concert’s cancellation “in line with a decision made by the Istanbul governor’s office,” adding that ticket refunds would be processed shortly through the platform where they were purchased.
Speaking to AFP, the source from the governor’s office cited “safety concerns” without elaborating further.
The British singer Williams, whose wife is Jewish, performed in Israel in 2015 and 2023 despite calls from activists to boycott the country.
Several NGOs urged Turkish authorities to cancel the October 7 concert, and others, including the Islamic Solidarity Platform, had planned protests under the slogan “Zionist Robbie Williams, get out of Turkey!”
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