Palestine protestors disrupting a Proms concert is just one of many instances of the Palestine movement becoming pervasive at cultural events, reports Jamal Elaheebocus

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s performance at the BBC Proms on Friday night was disrupted by Palestine protesters after the orchestra sacked a pianist for speaking out against the genocide in Gaza.

Protesters from Jewish Artists for Palestine disrupted the concert early on, displaying banners saying ‘complicit in genocide’ and chanting ‘The MSO has blood on its hands’ and ‘you silenced Jayson Gilham’.

There was a fairly lengthy delay, with the conductor leaving the stage, as security removed the protesters. The concert, which was being broadcast live on Radio 3, was eventually restarted with a modified running order. There was a brief interruption from another Palestine protester, but the concert continued.

The MSO was making its first visit to the Proms, playing at the Royal Albert Hall in the BBC’s summer series of classical music concerts. However, the orchestra has been mired in controversy after pianist Jayson Gillham was removed from a scheduled concert at Melbourne Town Hall for speaking out about Gaza.

Before playing his final piece at a concert three weeks ago, Gilham said:

‘The killing of journalists is a war crime in international law, and it is done in an effort to prevent the documentation and broadcasting of war crimes to the world.’

The MSO was forced to admit it made an ‘error’ in cancelling Gilham’s performance and has taken the pianist on again. However, at a time when at least 242 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza including several Al Jazeera journalists in recent weeks, the decision is outrageous and inexplicable.

Palestine as a cultural zeitgeist

The protest on Friday night is reflective of a mood of revolt throughout British society, and particularly within music and the arts, in opposition to the government’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza.

Glastonbury was dominated by the issue of Palestine, with the BBC refusing to broadcast Kneecap’s performance, who have been extremely outspoken on Gaza. Instead, the band Bob Vylan was broadcast, and was subsequently hounded by the media and establishment for speaking out against the genocide live on the BBC.

Indie-band Black Country, New Road led crowds in chants of ‘Free, free Palestine’ at the All Points East festival last Sunday, with headliners the Maccabees also speaking out against the genocide in their set.

Outside of music, the Edinburgh Fringe saw a range of Palestinian acts and several solidarity events organised throughout the festival by comedians and performers, including Fringe Artists for Palestine.

This level of activity in culture doesn’t happen spontaneously; it is the effect of a Palestine movement in Britian which is unprecedented in size and endurance. It is not a stretch to argue that most people in this country know at least a handful of people who have been on Palestine demos at some point in the last 23 months, and this has a ripple effect on society where support for the Palestinians is now the majority opinion. The displays of solidarity at music festivals and cultural events across the country this summer is a reflection of that fact.