Sawt Falasteen - British band Muse cancels planned Istanbul gig

The band posted on X that it had taken the decision to shelve the June 11 concert "after careful consideration" and would reschedule for 2026 without the promoter's involvement.

On social media the post was liked more than 70,000 times in less than an hour.

Muse had come under pressure from fans to cancel the gig in support of protesters who have taken to the streets against the March 19 arrest of Istanbul's popular mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

The concert promotor, DBL Entertainment, pulled out of the event in response. Muse said the company "will not be involved" in its rescheduled performance.

Turkey's opposition has called for the boycott of dozens of companies whose leaders are seen as being close to President Recip Tayyip Erdogan.

Nearly 2,000 people, including several hundred students and young people, have been arrested since the start of the protests.

DBL Entertainment chief Abdulkadir Ozkan has maintained he was quoted out of context when he criticised the throwing of missiles at a cafe chain franchise during a largely peaceful protest on Saturday.

On Tuesday he pulled out of all music projects after he faced criticism from Turkish artists, and calls mounted for the Muse gig to be shelved.

Imamoglu is seen as Erdogan's main political rival and was chosen as the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate for the 2028 presidential election.

His arrest for corruption and subsequent incarceration sparked a wave of protests not seen in Turkey in a decade.

Some cafes, shops and restaurants in Istanbul and Ankara heeded a CHP call to remain closed on Wednesday.

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST