In solidarity with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C. have cancelled their upcoming concert in Istanbul, Turkey.
The band were scheduled to perform at Zorlu PSM on August 20 in support of their forthcoming new album Romance. However, that venue has been included in the boycott call-to-action, as it's owned by Zorlu Holdings — which is also the co-owner of Dorad, an Israeli energy plant.
Fontaines announced the news today on their Instagram Story, writing, "Further to conversations with Palestinian artists and human rights activists, we have now decided to cancel our show at Zorlu PSM, Istanbul on Tuesday 20th August. The global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement led by the largest Palestinian coalition, has called on artists to refuse to play Zorlu PSM until Zorlu fully divests from the supply of energy to Israel while it carries out what the International Court of Justice now agrees is plausibly a genocide."
"We were really looking forward to visiting and playing Istanbul, however in this instance, we must be clear in our convictions and put solidarity with the people of Palestine first. We promise to play in Turkey as soon as we can make it possible," the group said, adding that refunds would be available for ticketholders at point of purchase.
The Palestinian-led BDS movement was developed to put nonviolent pressure on Israel to end its occupation of the West Bank, recognize Palestinian rights and allow Palestinian refugees to return to their homes by urging people not to do business with Israeli institutions and for other institutions to withdraw investments from the State of Israel.
Fontaines D.C. are holding listening parties globally on August 22 ahead of the release of Romance, where fans can be the first to hear the album and have the chance to win one of 1,200 exclusive hand-numbered, screen-printed vinyl LPs. Find the full list of participating record stores in Canada below.
Montreal, QC - Aux 33 Tours
Hamilton, ON - Dr. Disc
Kitchener, ON - Encore
London, ON - Grooves
Winnipeg, MB - Into the Music
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC - Le Noise
Montreal, QC - Le Vacarme
Edmonton, AB - Listen
Vancouver, BC - Neptoon Records
Toronto, ON - Pop Music
Calgary, AB - Sloth
Toronto, ON - Sonic Boom
Halifax, NS - Taz
Ottawa, ON - Vertigo