After Tuesday's concert at the TPO in Bologna which was canceled at the last moment, with the audience waiting in the hall, because the venue did not accept the request of Dylan Carlson's band to remove the Palestinian flag that was on the stage, Earth performed last night at the Magnolia in Segrate, just outside Milan.
Before the concert the venue, which is an «Arci association for non-profit social promotion», released a message: «The Magnolia is on the side of free Palestine and there can be no ambiguity for the artists we host. There is no space for those who support genocide, violence and abuse from our stage. Our stage has never had flags, but our club is permeated with all the campaigns and initiatives carried out over the years, without neutrality.”
After reiterating that they are against genocide and in “concrete and material” support of the Palestinian people, Magnolia explained that “this evening's concert (Earth, who are not mentioned, ed) is confirmed, the artist is aware of our political positioning and has not opposed it in any way.”
“I apologize to the people who wanted to see some music in Bologna this evening,” Carlson wrote after Tuesday's cancellation, “but the Bologna TPO puts politics above music and canceled Earth's show. Neither the band nor the Freakout had anything to do with it.”
The TPO has taken on the burden of reimbursing the tickets and has activated crowdfunding to cover the costs (in the link in the bio of the Instagram profile). “In these hours we are receiving many messages of solidarity and affection, and we want to start from here: thank you”, we read on the profile of the Bolognese social centre. «Yesterday a live performance was scheduled at TPO. We were asked to remove the Palestinian flag from the stage. For us it wasn't an option. We have therefore decided to cancel the concert. To cover the costs of the concert (€5000!) and continue to guarantee the usability and autonomy of the TPO, to support the space and the people who pass through it in choosing a side, we have activated crowdfunding. Entering the TPO is always a political gesture.”
«For over two years we have been in the streets against the genocide of the Palestinian people, in demonstrations, assemblies and public mobilisations. At the TPO, symbolic and political choices arise from its community and its history. Defending these choices means defending the very meaning of this space.”
And again: «We think the global civil war against the kings of the world also concerns music, even in this country, which has its queen Giorgia Meloni, to whom we would like to give a big push together». The TPO therefore relaunches the appeal to the world of culture and entertainment to join the international day of protest on March 28, with a final concert like the one being organized in London.
