Turkish authorities have cancelled a planned concert in Istanbul by French singer Enrico Macias, citing concerns over possible protests against his support for Israel. The show was scheduled for Friday, but the Istanbul governor’s office said it was banned to avoid demonstrations linked to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
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Macias, 86, expressed disappointment over the decision, saying he has performed in Turkey for six decades and always shared values of peace and fraternity with his audience. He told AFP that he was “deeply surprised and saddened” by the ban.
Born into a Jewish family in Algeria, Macias has been outspoken in defending Israel’s response to Hamas’s October 2023 attacks. In a recent interview, he said his opposition was to terrorism and added that any Israeli violence was a reaction to Hamas, while insisting he had “nothing against the Palestinians.”
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Macias has lived in France since 1961 and is widely known for popularizing Arab-Andalusian music. The cancellation marks a rare disruption in his long history of performances in Turkey.
