Israeli rock star Aviv Geffen was escorted out of a David Gilmour concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday by Los Angeles police, after failing to heed a request to take down a sign he held up calling for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Geffen, 51, a prominent member of the Israeli left and vociferous in his criticism of the government led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is currently on a private tour in the United States. At the concert in question, he had raised a sign reading, “Wish they were here,” in reference to the classic Pink Floyd song.
“I held up the sign for the hostages. The police asked me why I was holding it up, and I explained that I’m from Israel and it’s for the hostages,” Geffen said. “They asked me to put it down, and I refused.”
Geffen says he was escorted outside the venue, where he was briefly detained and released a short time later.
A year after the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, some 101 hostages taken from southern Israel are still being held captive in Gaza, with more than half believed to be dead.
