'It’s a humanitarian statement': The Murder Capital have German gigs pulled for flying Palestinian flag
The Murder Capital were due to play at Club Gretchen in Berlin and at Gebäude 9 in Cologne on Sunday. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
The Murder Capital have spoken out after multiple gigs in Germany were cancelled due to their use of a Palestinian flag during their performances.
The Irish band was due to play at Club Gretchen in the German capital of Berlin on Saturday and at Gebäude 9 in Cologne on Sunday as part of a world tour supporting their third album,
The venues cancelled the shows, however, when they learned of the band’s intentions to display a Palestinian flag on the stage during their performances, which they have done at all of their recent shows.
Reacting to the news that their Berlin show had been cancelled, the band gave a speech outside the venue to many of their fans on Saturday and went on to play an acoustic show in the open air for those in attendance.
Staying true to their stance on the genocide in Gaza, frontman James McGovern explained: “I’m speaking totally from the band’s point of view, I’m not speaking from our crew or our management or anything like that, okay?
“We pulled into Berlin this morning, we had no idea that we weren’t allowed to fly this flag here today. We found out early this afternoon. This is from the band’s point of view," said McGovern, who hails from Sunday's Well in Cork.
“We discussed it for an hour at length, what we should do. We came to the decision that we were not going to take the flag off the stage. That was a decision pretty easily made, but we discussed possible outcomes – what if they decide to cancel the show? We thought about all of you deeply, because we care about you deeply, and I mean that. And our decision was that we’re gonna put the flag on stage."
He said they considered replacing the flag with a banner reading ‘Free Palestine’, but he said the authorities would not allow this either.
“So it’s not just about national flags, it’s about political statements,” he continued.
“To us, this isn’t just a political statement, it’s a humanitarian statement. We’ve been saying that in interviews for the whole time that we’ve been speaking about it as people. It’s not all about politics; it’s about people who are dying and being slaughtered every day, and that’s happening right now.
“So, for us as a band who has had this flag on their stage for countless shows now, it would be the wrong thing for us to do to take it off the stage just so that the venue is kept happy. We don’t agree with that.
“We wish live music and art and theatre could be free of political discussion and things like that, but as the world as it is, unfortunately, it just cannot be. That’s the way it is, so we’ll be back to you as soon as we can, and we appreciate all your support deeply, but most importantly, free Palestine.”
On Sunday, McGovern posted an update to the band’s social media informing fans that their Cologne gig had also been cancelled - again because of the band’s use of the Palestinian flag.
McGovern said they had hoped that what happened in Berlin would be “an isolated incident,” but quickly learned that Gebäude 9 would not allow the Palestinian flag on its stage either.
He said they tried everything they could to find an alternative venue, but were unsuccessful, playing an outdoor acoustic gig for fans at Cologne's Rheinpark instead.
“Us having a flag on our stage at a rock show is not a political statement, it is a human reaction to a horrific and unimaginable situation,” McGovern said in a video posted on social media.
“We stand forever with the people of Palestine, free the people of Palestine. Love, from us,” he concluded.
Fans of the band took to social media over the weekend to show their support and solidarity, commending the group for staying true to their beliefs and for standing with the Palestinian people.
“Second city/night in a row for the Murder Capital in Germany to me told they cannot have a Palestine flag on stage. Second city/night they've walked out. Massive solidarity,” one X user wrote.
“Love you lads. I'm an Irishman of Jewish heritage and I stand firmly with you,” another wrote.
It comes as Kneecap’s scheduled shows in Germany were recently cancelled in light of their outspoken comments at Coachella and elsewhere about the Israeli government’s ongoing operations in Gaza.
The backlash against Kneecap caused countless major artists to sign a letter written by their label Heavenly that stood up for artists’ freedom of expression.
The letter read: “In a democracy, no political figures or political parties should have the right to dictate who does and does not play at music festivals or gigs that will be enjoyed by thousands of people.”
The Murder Capital are due to play Ancienne Belgique in Brussels on Tuesday evening and have yet to post any update on whether this gig has been affected.
