Two concerts by Morrissey set for Turkey were axed amid public pressure from the government due to the English singer/songwriter’s support for Israel, the Euronews Turkish service reported on Friday.
Oktay Saral, chief adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, took to X on Wednesday, saying it is “unacceptable” to bring figures to the country who support “Israel’s oppression in Gaza.”
“The fact that Morrissey, an Israel supporter and Zionist singer, is scheduled to perform a concert at Volkswagen Arena [in Istanbul] on Dec. 16 is a blatant mockery of both our nation’s conscience and the memory of the innocent children slaughtered in Palestine,” he wrote.
He then threatened those responsible for inviting the former Smiths front man.
“The individuals and organizations responsible for this event must be immediately disclosed, and the names behind this scandal must be brought before the public,” he stated.
Istanbul Gov. Davut Gül tweeted, “No event that legitimizes Israel’s attacks on the Palestinian people has ever been permitted, nor will they be in the future.”
The organizers of the concerts were cited by Euronews Turkish as saying, “By sharing the sensitivity in our society, we respectfully announce to the public that the concert has already been canceled.”
A public backlash has sparked in recent days over Morrissey’s concerts scheduled for Dec. 6 in Istanbul and Dec. 19 in Ankara.
A post on X from Oct. 8 calling to cancel the concerts by the “Zionist singer” garnered a million views.
Tanıştırayım:
— SON LAİK BÜKÜCÜ 🇹🇷 (@TheLaikYobaz) October 8, 2025
İsrail destekçisi, siyonist şarkıcı Morrissey 16 Aralık’ta Volkswagen Arena’da konser verecek.
Filistin’de çocuklar ölürken bu konserin yapılmasına izin verilmemelidir.
Bu konser iptal edilmelidir! pic.twitter.com/O6MQkdJdet
Morrissey has performed in Israel several times. In an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel in 2017, he spoke of his “love” of Tel Aviv and said that Israelis “are very generous and friendly. You should never judge a people by their government. It is very rare for the government to reflect the wishes of the people.”
In related news, the Brussels region municipality of Forest canceled a planned concert by the U.S. heavy metal band Disturbed over what local officials described as “security concerns,” Belgium media reported on Saturday.
Anti-Israel groups had planned to hold protests on Oct. 15 outside the venue over the pro-Israel views of the band’s lead singer, David Draiman, and police warned of a threat to public safety.
“Given the sensitive location and the police’s negative opinion, it was my duty to make this decision,” Mayor Charles Spapens said. “My responsibility and priority are the safety of residents, neighbors, spectators and staff.”
Last month, The Brussels Times reported that Spapens had already tried to have the show canceled, calling the presence of Draiman, who is Jewish, a “moral problem” due to his support for the war against Hamas.
Earlier in October, reports from Turkey said that the concert of renowned British pop singer Robbie Williams, scheduled to take place in Istanbul on Oct. 7, was canceled over his support for Israel as well.
Williams’s wife, Ayda Field, is Turkish-born and Jewish.
During a performance at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv in June 2023, the singer told the audience, “My wife is Jewish, so my kids are Jewish. I like to keep some of the traditions going in the family, just out of respect for you guys and their history.”
