Robbie Williams has been forced to cancel an upcoming concert in Istanbul after city authorities cited “security concerns” following anti-Israel backlash against the pop star.
The former Take That man has faced criticism from pro-Palestinian campaigners in the past for performing in Israel in 2015.
Some in Turkey have also accused Williams’ wife Ayda Field, whose father was Turkish while her mother was an American Jew, of pro-Israel sympathies.
The couple have four children, who they have raised as Jewish, with Williams saying in 2023: “I'm raising my kids Jewish and I'm grateful for the Jewish people.
"My wife is Jewish, so my kids are Jewish. I like to keep some of the traditions going in the family, just out of respect for you guys and their history.”
As a result of the backlash, the singer announced that his concert at the Atakoy Marina, which was scheduled for October 7, has been cancelled.
He wrote on social media: “I'm extremely sorry that I will not be able to perform in Istanbul next week.
"City authorities have cancelled the show, in the interests of public safety.
"The last thing I would ever want to do is to jeopardise the safety of my fans – their safety and security come first.
"To end this epic run of dates in front of my Turkish fans was my dream, given the close connections my family has with this wonderful country.
“To everyone in Istanbul who wanted to join the 1.2 million people who have shared this phenomenal tour this year with us, I am deeply sorry.
“We were so looking forward to this show, but the decision to cancel it was beyond our control.”
It comes after Turkish authorities cancelled a planned performance in the city by French-Jewish singer Enrico Macias last month over his support for Israel.
Officials confirmed they had called off the event “after intense calls for protests” against it.
They claimed that the measure was actually designed to prevent protests “against the genocide of the terrorist state Israel in Gaza and its supporters,” as these would place demonstrators “in an unjust position legally, and cause grievances”.
The 86-year-old Macias told AFP he was “deeply surprised and saddened not to be able to see my audience, with whom I have always shared values of peace and fraternity”.
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