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UK music festival apologizes for ‘silencing’ anti-Israel band

The band accused organizers of discrimination after their audio was silenced, following one musician screaming “F—— Israel” at the beginning of the musical performance.

By World Israel News Staff

A British music festival has apologized for cutting a band’s audio after members of the musical group shouted “Free Palestine and F—— Israel” during a live performance.

Staff at the Victorious Music Festival abruptly silenced the microphones of the Irish band “The Mary Wallopers” after the group waved a Palestinian flag on stage and began its set with an anti-Israel outburst.

The band quickly claimed victimhood, accusing organizers of discriminating against them for supporting the Palestinian cause. Several other artists announced they were pulling out of the festival in solidarity, prompting organizers to issue a public apology.

In a statement posted to Instagram, the festival said staff “didn’t handle the explanation of our policies sensitively or far enough in advance to allow a sensible conclusion to be reached. This put the band and our own team in a difficult situation which never should have arisen.”

The statement added that the festival “would like to sincerely apologize to all concerned.”

Initially, festival organizers defended the decision by citing a “discriminatory chant,” but that explanation only inflamed tensions with the Mary Wallopers and their supporters.

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Organizers clarified that “although mics remained live for longer, sound for The Mary Wallopers’ audience was cut as described in the band’s video and that comments after that were not audible to the public.”

In an act of repentance, the festival vowed to donate money to Palestinian causes.

Some attendees questioned the festival’s version of events, noting that other musicians had made pro-Palestinian remarks during their sets.

Festivalgoer Jess Huxham told CNN that “from all I heard, [The Mary Wallopers] did say ‘Free Palestine,’ which other bands on the main stage had said before their set.”

The Victorious Festival may have been attempting to avoid the backlash that engulfed Glastonbury earlier this summer after the duo Bob Vylan shouted “Death to the IDF” during a performance.

That incident made international headlines, with critics asking why festival staff allowed chants inciting violence against Israel’s military to continue unchecked rather than cutting the microphones.