Turkey bans French singer's concert after protest calls over his pro-Israeli stance

FILE PHOTO: Singer Enrico Macias arrives at the Madeleine Church to attend a ceremony during a 'popular tribute' to late French singer and actor Johnny Hallyday in Paris, France, December 9, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo

Source: REUTERS

Turkish authorities have banned a concert of Enrico Macias, a French singer of Algerian-Jewish origin, after calls for protest over his pro-Israeli stance.

The Istanbul governor's office late on Wednesday said that Macias' performance scheduled for Friday evening in the city has been banned "after intense calls for protests against the concert."

Such protests would place protesters "in an unjust position legally, and cause grievances," the office said in a statement.

Any protests around the concert venue in Istanbul's Sisli district on Friday were also banned by the governor.

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NATO member Turkey has fiercely criticised Israel over its actions in Gaza and says it is committing genocide there.

It has halted all trade with Israel, called for international measures against it, and has repeatedly urged world powers to stop supporting Israel.

Israel has strongly denied that its actions in Gaza, where its offensive has killed more than 63,000, amount to genocide.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters