Irish post-punks the Murder Capital faced two show cancellations in Germany this past weekend (May 10 and 11) after Berlin and Cologne venues prohibited the band's display of the Palestinian flag on stage. The Murder Capital join fellow Irish group Kneecap in having German shows cancelled, as the rap trio's recent controversies around their Coachella performance and remarks made in unearthed concert footage resulted in the axing of their summer headline shows in Hamburg, Berlin and Cologne.
The Murder Capital were set to perform at Berlin's Gretchen club on Saturday (May 10), but the venue's "no national flag" policy conflicted with the band's continuous onstage display of the Palestinian flag. The band ultimately decided that upholding their outspoken support for Palestine was more important than compromising on their message in order to move ahead with the performance.
The band shared a spoken statement from outside Gretchen regarding the show's cancellation, footage of which they also posted to their Instagram account. Frontman James McGovern said in the statement that the band had decided to hang the Palestinian flag when they were setting up at the venue in the afternoon, but were subsequently informed they couldn't do so. After weighing their options, the band considered replacing the flag with a "Free Palestine" banner, but were again told by the venue's authorities that the banner wouldn't be allowed. "So it's not just about national flags, it's about political statements," said McGovern. "And to us, this isn't just a political statement, it's a humanitarian statement."
"We wish live music and art and theatre could be free of political discussion and things like that, but as the world as it is, unfortunately it just cannot be. That's the way it is, so we'll be back to you as soon as we can," the band concluded. "We appreciate all your support deeply, but most importantly, free Palestine."
In place of the cancelled show, the Murder Capital performed an acoustic set outside of Berlin venue Obentrautstraße 19.
The following day, the band found their Cologne gig cancelled as well, after the venue Gebäude 9 also forbade the band from hanging the Palestinian flag. The band took to Cologne's Rheinpark to give another acoustic performance for fans.
Following the second cancellation, the band posted a follow-up video to Instagram, in which McGovern said, "The Palestinian flag itself needs to be on our stage and needs to be as visible everywhere in the world as possible." He continued, "Us having a flag on our stage at a rock show is not a political statement. It is a human reaction to a horrific and unimaginable situation. But this is not history, it is happening right now, today. We stand forever with the people of Palestine. Free the people of Palestine."
The Murder Capital's Blindness World Tour continues May 13 in Brussels. Watch the band's statement from outside Gretchen below.