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| The Grand Turk |
| Judenfrei: ‘Zionist Robbie Williams’ has Istanbul concert canceled over safety concerns |
| 2025-10-06 |
| [IsraelTimes] UK pop star says move ‘beyond our control’ as local authorities nix performance, scheduled for Oct. 7, after pro-Palestinian activists protest, call for him to be kicked out of Turkey British singer Robbie Williams said city authorities called off his upcoming Istanbul concert “in the interests of public safety” after anti-Israel Turkish NGOs and social media users campaigned for the event to be cancelled and protested against his appearance, accusing him of being a “Zionist.” The October 7 concert was scheduled to take place on the second anniversary of the Hamas-led invasion and massacres in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, and saw another 251 taken hostage, triggering the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. For days, Turkish social media accounts and pro-Gaza NGOs had been calling for the event at the Atakoy Marina to be scrapped, accusing Williams of being “Zionist.” The Islamic Solidarity Platform had planned protests under the slogan “Zionist Robbie Williams, get out of Turkey!” The 51-year-old singer has faced renewed scrutiny in predominantly Muslim Turkey over his family’s Jewish heritage and his 2015 performance in Israel, which drew criticism from pro-Palestinian groups. Williams was raised Catholic but is married to American-Turkish actress Ayda Field, who is Jewish, as are their four children. He gave another concert in Israel in 2023, during which he told the audience that he was raising his children Jewish “to keep some of the traditions going in the family, just out of respect to you guys and their history” and also revealed a tattoo on his wrist with the word “simcha” (happiness in Hebrew). Bubilet, the ticketing company, said it had canceled the concert at the request of the Istanbul Governor’s Office. The governor’s office was not immediately available for comment. Williams wrote on Instagram late on Saturday that the safety of his fans “comes first,” adding he was deeply sorry for the cancellation, which he said was “beyond our control.” “To end this epic run of dates in front of my Turkish fans was my dream, given the close connections my family have with this wonderful country,” Williams said. The cancellation came a month after Turkish authorities banned a concert of Enrico Macias, a French singer of Algerian-Jewish origin, after calls for protest over his pro-Israel stance. Macias, who was born into a Jewish family in Algeria, has on several occasions defended Israel’s response to Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023, attack. Israeli and pro-Israel cultural figures have also faced hostility elsewhere in Europe as criticism of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, and the humanitarian crisis there, has mounted. Related: Enrico Macias 09/05/2025 Turkey bans veteran Jewish-French singer’s concert in anticipation of protests Enrico Macias 06/02/2011 Djamel Chifouna: Palestinians are terrorists, worse than El Qaeda Related: Robbie Williams 12/31/2024 New Zealand’s Auckland is the first major city to welcome 2025 with fireworks and light show Robbie Williams 09/21/2005 "Aliens are coming!!!", sez Robbie Williams Robbie Williams 06/01/2005 Noted statesman Bob Geldof urges G8 protests |
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