LIFE
Date published: 26 May 2022 15:38
Modified On: 26 May 2022 16:38

Concert bans continue in Turkey 'to protect public safety, morality'

While all concerts as part of the International Spring Festival were canceled at Middle East Technical University, one concert was banned on the grounds of "public safety" in Bursa, while another one is banned in Isparta for being against "morals of the society."

İstanbul
Concert bans continue in Turkey 'to protect public safety, morality'

Click to read the article in Turkish (1) (2) (3) / Kurdish

All the concerts expected to be held at the Middle East Technical University (METU) yesterday (May 25) at 34th METU International Spring Festival have been canceled by the rector of the university.

Musician Burhan Şeşen announced the decision of the university administration on Twitter.

"Concerts to be held tonight at METU have been canceled by the rectorate. All the efforts of the International Youth Community that organized the concert have been gone in vain. Students have worked hard for a year to organize these events. This is the result. Anyone who takes this decision and turns a blind eye to it is clearly BAD," wrote Şeşen.

The reason for the cancellation was announced as follows by the rector's office:

"We wish God's mercy on our soldiers who were martyred in Operation Claw Lock, patience for their families, and fast recovery to our wounded soldiers. Concerts to be held on May 25 have been canceled due to this sad news that deeply saddens us all."

"Public safety"

Another concert was banned in Bursa. The Governor's Office banned the concert of Kurdish musician Mem Ararat, which was due to take place on May 29.

Ararat announced on his Twitter account that the concert, to be held at Bursa Merinos Atatürk Congress and Culture Center, had been banned by a written decision of the Governor's Office only 3 days before the date of the event.

"Public Safety" was proposed as the reason for the ban by the Governor's Office.

"It is a decision that is divisive and hurts the conscience of the society to ban it three days before our concert, when all the tickets have been sold, the plane tickets of the musicians have been bought, hotel reservations and all similar preparations have been completed," Ararat wrote on Twitter.

"Public morality"

As part of the International Isparta Rose Festival, singers Melek Mosso, Derya Uluğ and Funda Arar were going to give concerts on different days. Mosso was going to take the stage at Meydan AVM on 3 June.

Musician Melek Mosso's concert was also banned today after a statement from the National Youth Foundation (MGV) and Anatolian Youth Association (AGD) Isparta Branch.

In a common statement by the two organizations, it was claimed that Isparta Municipality is organizing concerts that are "against the morals and beliefs of the society."

Mosso said the following from her social media account about the cancellation:

"I am the woman of this country. With my ideas, vision, and dreams, I continue making art every day. I have millions of fans, young and old. It is not the business of a few ignorant people to question my morals or insult my femininity. People with this mentality are trying to bring the darkness and perversion in their hearts into our lives, but I will never allow this, we will NOT... I will certainly go to Isparta and sing my songs. If not today, our hearts will hug tomorrow."

Throughout May, concerts by the musicians Aynur Doğan, Metin-Kemal Kahraman, Apolas Lermi, Niyazi Koyuncu and Burhan Şeşen were alse canceled.

CLICK - More concerts of protest musicians banned by AKP municipalities

CLICK - Dozens of Kurdish concerts, plays banned in Turkey in three years

(AÖ/EMK/FD/TB/VK)

Mem Ararat metu melek mosso burhan şeşen Concert bans
https://bianet.org/haber/concert-bans-continue-in-turkey-to-protect-public-safety-morality-262428
2024-05-18 15:30:26