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UK Festival Faces Backlash After Cutting Mary Wallopers’ Set
August23
Irish folk group the Mary Wallopers had their performance at Portsmouth’s Victorious Festival on Friday, August 22, cut short after flying a Palestinian flag on stage and leading a “Free Palestine” chant.
The decision prompted several artists, including the Last Dinner Party, to withdraw from the event in protest.
Headliners Vampire Weekend also addressed the controversy during their set on Saturday, August 23. Frontman Ezra Koenig told the crowd, “If someone was punished for flying a flag, that is wrong and they deserve an apology. The terrible suffering of the Palestinian people deserves all of our sympathy.”
Festival organizers initially told NME that the sound was cut because the band had used “a chant which is widely understood to have a discriminatory context.” The Mary Wallopers disputed this account, sharing video footage of the incident and claiming that crew members intervened directly because of the flag. They accused the festival of issuing a “misleading statement,” saying their performance was stopped only after chants of “Free Palestine.”
Victorious later issued a second statement apologising to the band.
The incident comes amid wider tensions around political expression at music festivals. In June, British duo Bob Vylan had their U.S. visas revoked following a Glastonbury performance where frontman Bobby Vylan led a controversial chant about the Israeli Defense Forces. Irish rap trio Kneecap have also faced consequences over pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel messages at recent shows, including being dropped from festival lineups and facing legal action in the UK.
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