Muse Cancel the Turkish concert after pressure from the anti -government demonstrators

The British group Muse abandoned a concert in Istanbul after the concert promoter insulted anti-government demonstrators, which caused pressure from fans and local artists.

The group said it fully respected the concerns of fans, after the promoter Abdulkadir Ozkan denounced certain acts of opposition demonstrators as betrayal. He then expressed his regret for any “misunderstanding”.

Turkey was seized by demonstrations following the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19 for accusations of corruption, which he denies.

The popular opposition mayor was to go to the presidency during the 2028 elections. His supporters saw his arrest as a political decision by President Rece Tayyip Erdogan.

Since March 19, police have detained nearly 2,000 people, including many university students.

British singer Robbie Williams was also faced with calls to cancel his program after the Turkish promoter went on social networks to condemn a fight that broke out in a cafe boycotted by demonstrators.

“Clear and simple, it is hostility towards the capital. Act of betrayal,” said Abdulkadir Ozkan on X.

He then published another message, explaining that his comments did not aim for the “constitutional right to demonstrations”, and that he “deeply regrets” any misunderstanding.

The social media accounts of Muse and Robbie Williams have been flooded with comments requesting that their concerts be canceled.

“You played a huge role in the formation of my musical taste,” wrote an article, “but unfortunately, the company that organizes it is on our boycott list.”

Singer Gaye Su Akyol, a popular artist in Türkiye, went to X to make a personal call to Muse, Robbie Williams and the Norwegian singer Ane Brun.

“I have respected your works for years and I know how much you mean for many,” she said. “But neither me nor anyone, we will attend your Istanbul concerts because the organizer is on the boycott list of the pro-democracy movement. Solidarity is important.”

As the pressure increased, Mr. Ozkan announced Tuesday that his business “withdrew from all the projects” compared to the two concerts.

The promoter told BBC Turkish that concerts would be organized by another company that would be determined by artists.

In a statement on Wednesday, Muse said: “After having carefully reflected and heard the comments of our fans while fully respecting their concerns, our program in Istanbul will now be postponed before 2026 so that we can ensure that DBL Entertainment will not be involved.”

Tickets for the June 11 concert on June 11 were to be sold Thursday, while tickets for the October Williams Robbie show in Istanbul are still available online.

Norwegian singer Anne Brun has canceled her concert.

“I decided not to play Istanbul in October … Unfortunately, that’s not the right time,” she said in an Instagram post.

The BBC contacted the management team of Robbie Williams but has not yet received an answer.

A show in Istanbul of the South African actor Trevor Noah, promoted by the company of Ozkan and scheduled for April 23, was also canceled, for no reason.

The controversy on concerts coincides with wider calls for a country boycott in Türkiye which was criticized by the government as an economic sabotage.

Within the framework of anti-Erdogan demonstrations, the Party of the Republican People of the Opposition of Imamoglu called for a boycott of companies which, according to the government.

Party leader Ozgur Ozel made a call for students to interrupt all purchases on Wednesday, and some stores closed solidarity.

Turkish vice-president Cevdet Yilmaz said calls threatened social harmony and economic stability and were “condemned to fail”.