{"id":190431,"date":"2025-10-10T12:30:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T12:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/190431\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T12:30:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T12:30:11","slug":"fans-speculate-morrisseys-turkey-shows-were-axed-due-to-his-support-of-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/190431\/","title":{"rendered":"Fans speculate Morrissey\u2019s Turkey shows were axed due to his support of Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Morrissey<\/a> has cancelled two gigs in Turkey, with fans now speculating the shows were scrapped because of his apparent support of Israel.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:\u00a0Morrissey \u2013 \u2018I Am Not A Dog On A Chain\u2019 review: his best album in years (if you can tune out his opinions)<\/a><\/p>\n

The former\u00a0Smiths<\/a> frontman was due to perform in Istanbul and Ankara in December, with both gigs now showing as cancelled on Ticketmaster with no explanation yet provided by Morrissey or promoters.<\/p>\n

The axed gigs were discussed in a thread on the fansite Morrissey Solo<\/a>, with many users pointing to growing hostility toward Morrissey on X\/Twitter, where a video of him holding the Israeli flag recently went viral.<\/p>\n

Captioned: \u201cLet me introduce: Zionist singer Morrissey, a supporter of Israel, [who] will give a concert at Volkswagen Arena on December 16. This concert should not be allowed while children are dying in Palestine. This concert must be canceled,\u201d the clip was taken from 2012, the same year he was honoured with the key to Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddf7 \u00dcLKEMDE S\u0130YON\u0130ST \u0130STEM\u0130YORUM!<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa4 16 Aral\u0131k\u2019ta Volkswagen Arena\u2019da sahne alacak Morrissey, \u201cIsrael\u201d \u015fark\u0131s\u0131yla siyonizmi \u00f6v\u00fcyor.
Bu topraklarda zalimi alk\u0131\u015flayana yer yok!<\/p>\n

\u26a0\ufe0f KONSER HEMEN \u0130PTAL ED\u0130LS\u0130N!#BoycottMorrissey<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Y1DPsjZEjn<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Yahya Sinvar (@Yahya_Sinvar_) October 8, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

#BoycottMorrissey<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/HLRgSn2UXE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Adem Gaspak (@GaspakAdem1725) October 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Some years later, in an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel<\/a>, he spoke of his \u201clove of the city\u201d and perceptions of Israel. \u201cThe rest of the world does not like Israel well,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the people there 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

He seemed to echo that sentiment on \u2018Low In High School\u2019 track \u2018Israel\u2019, in which he sings: \u201cIsrael\/I can\u2019t answer for what armies do\/They are not you\u201c, seemingly distinguishing Israeli people from their government.<\/p>\n

However, others interpret lines: \u201cAnd they who reign, abuse, upon you \/ Upon you
They are jealous of you as well,\u201d and \u201cLove yourself\/As you should\/Israel\u201d as a blanket endorse of the region and its actions.<\/p>\n

Further along in the Der Spiegel interview, Morrissey also took aim at the BDS boycott movement, calling it \u201cabsurd and narrow-minded\u201d. \u201cBeing politically correct is incorrect. It is absurd. It means forbidding the freedom of speech. This is how the BDS movement sounds to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

His support of Israel led many on social media to call for the gigs to be called over amid the ongoing genocide they are waging<\/a>, which has led to staggering numbers of civilians deaths in Gaza, estimated to be over 60,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.<\/p>\n

Israel rejects the genocide accusations<\/a> and denies committing any war crimes, maintaining that its operations are lawful acts of self-defence following Hamas\u2019 attack on Israeli citizens at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, which killed over 1100 people and saw 250 taken as hostages.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

NME has contacted Morrissey\u2019s live team for comment.<\/p>\n

In other Morrissey news, he is due to headline The O2 in Greenwich on February 28, marking his only UK gig of the year. Tickets for his return to the capital went on sale at 9am this morning (October 10), and you can find any remaining tickets here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The singer-songwriter is currently out on a North American tour, and last month, cancelled another two concerts in the US following a \u201ccredible threat\u201d on his life<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He also recently took to his website<\/a>\u00a0to confirm\u00a0that he had \u201cno choice but to offer for sale all of his business interests\u201d in The Smiths\u00a0to any potential investors or parties<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He explained: \u201cI am burnt out by any and all connections to\u00a0[Johnny] Marr<\/a>,\u00a0[Andy] Rourke<\/a>, [Mike] Joyce. I have had enough of malicious associations. With my entire life I have paid my rightful dues to these songs and these images. I would now like to live disassociated from those who wish me nothing but ill-will and destruction, and this is the only resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n

A subsequent update announced that\u00a0the email address for offers had been \u201cswitched off\u201d due to a \u201ccolossal response\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere,\u00a0Morrissey revealed that he had \u201cpolitely declined\u201d an invitation to perform at Reform UK\u2019s party conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n