Turkish Pianist concert cancelled over Israel criticism

 Turkish composer and pianist, Fazil Say, has fallen in the eyes of concert organizers in Switzerland due to his social media posts criticizing Israeli policies in Gaza. 

The artist had been scheduled to perform alongside the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in four Swiss cities from Monday to Thursday. However, he has been removed from the program by the event unit of retail group Migros.

Fazil Say has stated that his criticism of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians on social media was the reason cited for his removal. A Migros spokesperson confirmed Say’s removal and said that he had been replaced on the program by Swiss pianist Louis Schwizgebel.

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The Migros statement criticized Say’s public statements regarding the situation happening in Palestine right now, following Hamas’s recent attacks, stating that they could not be “defendable”.

The spokesperson did not elaborate upon which of Say’s comments had led to his removal. It has been reported that the pianist has previously been prosecuted for posting controversial comments on social media.

Say’s social media comments regarding the ongoing conflict, included a post stating that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, should stand trial for war crimes, genocide, and massacres. The musician’s comments, however, have also criticized Hamas.

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Say’s is not the first case where public figures have been removed from events or have faced censure due to controversial public statements regarding Israel or Palestine. The subject remains intensely divisive, with controversy surrounding any critique of Israeli policies.

In a statement, Say reiterated that his social media posts remained unchanged and that his views were “in the spirit of peace”.

McGill University’s Dr. Amir Ahmadi Hedayati stated recently that artists should not be censored, even if their speech is deemed offensive to some.

The issue remains a heated one, however, as individuals cannot always express their freedom of opinion without causing controversy.