Turkish pianist's concerts in Switzerland axed over Israel criticism

World-renowned Turkish composer and pianist Fazil Say has said his concerts planned next week in Switzerland were cancelled by organisers over his social media posts criticising Israel's atrocities in Gaza.

Say was due to perform with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in Zurich, Bern, Geneva and Lucerne from Monday to Thursday.

But he says he was removed from the lineup of the planned concerts organised by the event unit of the retail company Migros.

"Officials from MIGROS cited the ideas I expressed on the Israel-Palestine tension on my social media as the reason," Say posted on his official social media account on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.

"Everything I've written remains on my social media without any changes," he said.

A Migros spokesperson confirmed to AFP on Saturday that Say had been removed from the concert programme and replaced by Swiss pianist Louis Schwizgebel.

"The reason for this change is that Fazil Say's public statements after the terrorist attack against Israel are not defendable for Migros," the company said in a statement sent to AFP.

Israel has killed at least 4,385 Palestinians since its war in Gaza began on October 7, wounding 13,000 - many critically. Israel has also placed Gaza under a complete siege, cutting off water, food and fuel in the densely-populated enclave.

Tamamen aynı fikirdeyim.
Teşekkürler bu sağduyulu açıklama için.
Tüm insanlar bu savaşı durdurmak için bir şeyler yapmalı.
Netanyahu savaş suçu, soykırım, katliamlar suçundan yargılanmalıdır.
Filistinlilere özgürlük.
İnsanlık için.
Yeter artık bu vahşet https://t.co/urAGNgQUmX

— Fazıl Say (@fazilsaymusic) October 17, 2023

'I am for peace'

In one of his comments, Say responded to a message posted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on X where he accused Israel of a rocket strike on a hospital in Gaza this week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Netanyahu should stand trial for war crimes, genocide and massacres," Say commented.

The pianist has also criticised Hamas, saying in an October 13 video on Instagram that "nobody in the world would approve innocent people being attacked with weapons, thousands of people dying".

Say, an atheist, has previously run into trouble for his social media posts.

He was prosecuted in 2012 for Twitter posts that allegedly attacked Muslims, but acquitted of blasphemy charges by a Turkish court four years later.

"I am for peace, and all my statements were in the spirit of peace," the pianist said on Friday.

Omer Celik, spokesman for Erdogan's ruling AKP party, condemned the cancellation of Say's concerts in Europe "because of his ideas opposing Israel's inhumane attacks" on Palestinians, in a message on X on Saturday.