Muse and Robbie Williams face pressure to cancel Turkish gigs

British acts Muse and Robbie Williams have come under pressure from pro-opposition supporters in Turkey to scrap their tours of Turkey this summer over allegations that the local concert organiser insulted anti-government protesters.

Abdulkadir Ozkan denounced some protesters’ acts as treason, before expressing regret for any “misunderstanding”.

Turkey has been gripped by protests following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on 19 March over corruption charges, which he denies.

The popular mayor was due to run for the presidency in 2028 elections. His supporters see his arrest as a political move by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Calls for the two UK acts to cancel their concerts emerged after Mr Ozkan went on social media to condemn a fight that broke out in a coffee shop boycotted by protesters.

“Plain and simple, this is hostility towards the capital. Act of treason,” he said on X.

He later posted another message, explaining his comments were not aimed at the “constitutional right to protests”, and that he “deeply regrets” any misunderstanding.

Since 19 March, police have detained nearly 2,000 people, many of them university students.

The controversy over the concerts coincides with wider calls for a countrywide boycott in Turkey which has been criticised by the government as economic sabotage.

The social media accounts of Muse and Robbie Williams have been flooded with comments calling for their concerts to be cancelled.

“You’ve played a huge role in shaping my musical taste,” wrote one post, “but unfortunately the company organising it is on our boycott list.”

Singer Gaye Su Akyol, a popular artist in Turkey, took to X to make a personal appeal to Muse, Robbie Williams and Norwegian singer Ane Brun.

“I’ve respected your works for years and know how much you mean to many,” she said. “But neither I, nor anyone, will attend your Istanbul concerts because the organiser is on the boycott list of the pro-democracy movement. Solidarity matters.”

As pressure grew, Abdulkadir Ozkan announced on Tuesday that his company was “withdrawing from all projects” in relation to the two concerts.

A statement from the promoter to the BBC Turkish said the concerts would be organised by another company which would be determined by the artists.

Some fans have said that is not enough.

Muse and Robbie Williams have not responded publicly so far.

The BBC has reached out to Robbie Williams’ management team but is yet to receive a response.

Tickets for his October show in Istanbul are still available online, while Muse tickets for 11 June are due to go on sale on Thursday.

Norwegian singer Ane Brun has cancelled her concert.

“I have decided not to play in Istanbul this October… unfortunately, this is not the right time,” she said in an Instagram post.

A show in Istanbul by South African comedian Trevor Noah, promoted by Ozkan’s firm and planned for 23 April has also been cancelled, with no reason given.

As part of the anti-Erdogan protests, Imamoglu’s opposition Republican People’s Party has called for a boycott of companies which it says support the government.

Party leader Ozgur Ozel supported a call by students to halt all shopping on Wednesday, and some shops closed in solidarity.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said the calls threatened social harmony and economic stability and were “doomed to fail”.