Several bands have withdrawn from a music festival just hours before their scheduled performances, following claims by Irish folk group The Mary Wallopers that their set was “cut off” for displaying a Palestinian flag.
The Last Dinner Party, Cliffords, and The Academic each announced on Saturday their decision to no longer participate in Portsmouth’s Victorious Festival.
Festival organizers, who initially stated that The Mary Wallopers’ set was curtailed on Friday due to a “discriminatory” chant, have since issued an apology to the band.
They have also committed to making “a substantial donation to humanitarian relief efforts for the Palestinian people.”
In a statement shared on their Instagram page, rock band The Last Dinner Party announced their boycott of the festival.
They expressed being “outraged by the decision made to silence The Mary Wallopers” and accused the organizers of “political censorship.”
The band apologized to their fans and voiced their support for Palestinians.
Following The Mary Wallopers’ performance, a Victorious spokesperson stated: “We spoke to the artist before the performance regarding the festival’s long-standing policy of not allowing flags of any kind at the event, but that we respect their right to express their views during the show.”
“Although a flag was displayed on stage contrary to our policy, and this was raised with the artist’s crew, the show was not ended at this point, and it was the artist’s decision to stop the song.”
In response, The Mary Wallopers asserted that the festival had released a “misleading statement to the press claiming they cut our sound because of a discriminatory chant, and not the band’s call to Free Palestine.”
“Our video clearly shows a Victorious crew member coming on stage, interfering with our show, removing the flag from the stage and then the sound being cut following a chant of ‘Free Palestine’,” they added.
Rock band The Academic has also withdrawn from the festival, stating they could not “in good conscience” perform at “a festival that silences free speech,” while Irish band Cliffords stated they “refuse to play if we are to be censored for showing our support to the people of Palestine.”
As bands announced their withdrawal from the festival, the organizers issued another statement on Instagram.
Describing The Mary Wallopers as “a fantastic band,” they stated: “We didn’t handle the explanation of our policies sensitively or far enough in advance to allow a sensible conclusion to be reached.”
“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.”
“We absolutely support the right of artists to freely express their views from the stage, within the law and the inclusive nature of the event. Our policy of not allowing flags of any kind, which has been in place for many years for wider event management and safety reasons, is not meant to compromise that right.”
“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.”
They apologized for what had transpired and pledged to make a “substantial donation” to humanitarian relief efforts.
The festival’s closing day is scheduled to be headlined by Kings of Leon, with Bloc Party, Gabrielle, and The Reytons among the other acts on the lineup.
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