Fontaines D.C. cancel Istanbul gig in solidarity with Palestine: “We must be clear in our convictions”

nme.com:

Fontaines D.C. have cancelled a planned gig in Istanbul in solidarity with Palestine, saying: “we must be clear in our convictions.”The band were due to play the Zorlu PSM venue in Istanbul on August 20, but after speaking to “Palestinian artists and human rights activists”, the band have decided to cancel their planned show with full refunds being available to fans who bought tickets.The band cited the “global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement” who have been calling on artists to refuse to play the venue after claiming that Zorlu Energy part owns a plant that supplies five to eight per cent of Israel’s energy.In a post on their Instagram Stories, Fontaines D.C.

wrote: “The global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, led by the largest Palestinian coalition, has called on artists to refuse to play Zorlu PSM until Zorlu fully divests from the supply of energy to Israel while it carries out what the International Court of Justice now agrees is plausibly a genocide.“We were really looking forward to visiting and playing beautiful Istanbul, however in this instance, we must be clear in our convictions and put solidarity with the people of Palestine first.

We promise to play in Turkey as soon as we can make it possible.”You can see the post below:A post shared by BDS Movement (@bdsnationalcommittee)Fontaines D.C.

have shown much support for Palestine over the last few months. Back in December, the band teamed up with Massive Attack and Young Fathers to release a limited edition 12” single to support the charity Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF).100 per cent of the profits from the single were donated to the charity to help their emergency operations in Gaza and the West Bank..