A short scuffle broke out at the Royal Opera House in London after a performer held up a Palestinian flag onstage.
The incident happened on Saturday night during the final performance of Verdi’s Il Trovatore, which had been running for 11 nights.
Video shared online shows the performer holding the flag during the curtain call.
A performer held up the Palestinian flag onstage at the Royal Opera House in London
Highlights
- A performer at London's Royal Opera House waved a Palestinian flag during Il Trovatore's finale, causing a backstage scuffle.
- The Royal Ballet and Opera condemned the flag display as unauthorized and called it a wholly inappropriate act.
- Audience reactions to the flag ranged from applause to surprise as attempts were made to remove it from the stage.
- The incident aligns with a wider trend of artists supporting Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
- The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has surpassed 59,000, with many casualties being women and children amid continuing violence.
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Someone backstage tries to take it from him, but the performer pulls it back.
Some audience members clapped, while others reacted with surprise.
The Royal Ballet and Opera said the act was not approved.
“The display of the flag was an unauthorized action by the artist,” a spokesperson said. “It was not approved by the Royal Ballet and Opera and is a wholly inappropriate act.”
A person claiming to be in the audience described the performer as “one of the background artists,” recalling that he came onstage waving a Palestine flag and just stood there while someone kept trying to take it from him.
The incident comes as other performers have shown support for Palestinians during the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
Lowkey, Massive Attack, Brian Eno, Thom Yorke, Roger Waters, and Charlotte Church have supported Palestinians, calling for ceasefires and humanitarian aid.
At Glastonbury Festival last month, artists like Wolf Alice, Bob Vylan, Kneecap, and Amyl and the Sniffers spoke out in support of Palestinians.
Wolf Alice singer Ellie Rowsell told the crowd: “Whilst we have the stage for just a little bit longer, we want to express our solidarity with the people of Palestine. No one should ever be afraid to do that.”
Bobby Vylan from hip hop duo Bob Vylan faced backlash after leading chants of “death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]” during their set, which was streamed live by the BBC.
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The artist led chants of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF”.
Glastonbury Festival co-organizer Emily Eavis released a statement condemning the action.
“We are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday,” she said.
“Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”
Following the festival, the U.S. State Department revoked Bob Vylan’s visas ahead of their North American tour in November.
Bob Vylan “glorify violence and hatred” and “are not welcome visitors to our country,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau in a statement on X.
The police have since launched an investigation.
An investigation was also launched into Kneecap, which was later dropped due to a lack of evidence.
British Prime Minister Sir Kier was not supportive of the Irish rap group playing in the UK, saying he did not think it was “appropriate.”
Artists like Bob Vylan, Wolf Alice, and Kneecap have used their platforms to protest for Gaza
Image credits: Abed Rahim Khatib/Getty Images
The band previously described Israel’s military action in Gaza as genocide.
This figure includes over 142,000 injuries since the conflict began on October 7, 2023. More than half of the deceased are reported to be women and children.
In May, Israel lifted its 11-week aid blockade on Gaza, allowing limited UN deliveries.
The UN said previously that more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking handouts of aid.
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On June 30, the Israeli military said that Israeli forces had been issued new instructions following their “lessons learned” of Palestinians being harmed at the border. However, the killings have not stopped.
Just yesterday, 73 Palestinians were killed and 150 injured while trying to access food near the Zikim border crossing between Gaza and Israel, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.