Scuffle reportedly breaks out at Royal Opera House after Palestine flag unfurled
A spokesperson for the Royal Ballet and Opera said: 'The display of the flag was an unauthorised action by the artist.
'It was not approved by the Royal Ballet and Opera and is a wholly inappropriate act.'
In one of the videos, the audience could be heard applauding and cheering while the man was shaking the flag, before one audience member says 'oh my god' as a person attempts to take the flag off him.
The incident came on the closing night of an 11-night run of the production, which was a four-act opera by Giuseppe Verdi.
One poster on X, who claimed to have been a member of the audience, said: 'Extraordinary scenes at the Royal Opera House tonight.
'During the curtain call for Il Trovatore one of the background artists came on stage waving a Palestine flag. Just stood there, no bowing or shouting. Someone off stage kept trying to take it off him. Incredible.'
It comes as a large number of performers show their support for the people of Palestine amid the war in Gaza.
Numerous musical artists at this year's Glastonbury Festival offered messages of support during their sets, including Kneecap, Bob Vylan, Wolf Alice, and Amyl And The Sniffers.
During her band's set Wolf Alice singer Ellie Rowsell told the crowd at the Other Stage: 'Whilst we have the stage for just a little bit longer, we want to express our solidarity with the people of Palestine.
'No-one should ever be afraid to do that.'
Following their performances, Kneecap and Bob Vylan faced an investigation into their sets by Avon and Somerset Police.
During Bob Vylan's performance, rapper Bobby Vylan, whose real name is thought to be Pascal Foster-Robinson, 34, chanted 'death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)', while a member of Belfast rap group Kneecap joked fans should 'start a riot' outside his bandmate's upcoming court appearance.
The investigation into Kneecap's performance at the Somerset festival has since been dropped by police who said they would take 'no further action' as there was 'insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence'.
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Sky News
16 hours ago
- Sky News
Scuffle breaks out on stage of Royal Opera House after performer unfurls Palestinian flag
A brief scuffle broke out at London's Royal Opera House after a performer unfurled a Palestinian flag during a show. The incident took place during a performance of Il Trovatore on Saturday. During the final night of the 11-night run of the show, a performer held up the flag on stage. In video footage, shared online, someone backstage could be seen attempting to take it off the performer. The performer grabs it back following a brief scuffle. A spokesperson for the Royal Ballet and Opera said: "The display of the flag was an unauthorised action by the artist. "It was not approved by the Royal Ballet and Opera and is a wholly inappropriate act." The reaction to the flag was mixed, with some people heard applauding and cheering, while another audience member was heard saying "oh my God". One poster on X, who claimed to have been a member of the audience, said: "Extraordinary scenes at the Royal Opera House tonight. "During the curtain call for Il Trovatore one of the background artists came on stage waving a Palestine flag. Just stood there, no bowing or shouting. Someone off stage kept trying to take it off him. Incredible." Performers show support for Palestinians A number of performers have shown support for Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. During Glastonbury Festival, numerous acts offered messages of support during their sets, including Kneecap, Bob Vylan, Wolf Alice, and Amyl And The Sniffers. During her band's set, Wolf Alice singer Ellie Rowsell told the crowd at the Other Stage: "Whilst we have the stage for just a little bit longer, we want to express our solidarity with the people of Palestine. "No-one should ever be afraid to do that." Following their performances, both Kneecap and Bob Vylan faced investigation by Avon and Somerset Police. 2:06 Bob Vylan were widely criticised after leading on-stage chants of "death to the IDF" (Israel Defence Forces). The performance was live-streamed by the BBC, sparking a backlash against the broadcaster - which later issued an apology. The investigation into Kneecap was later dropped, with the police saying there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence".
Metro
18 hours ago
- Metro
Opera cast member unfurls Palestine flag during curtain call on London stage
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A performer used a curtain call to wave a Palestinian flag on the stage of the Royal Opera House. The protest took place at the end of a performance of Giuseppe Verdi's il Trovatore on Saturday night, while the rest of the cast were taking their bows and receiving applause. Footage of the incident showed ROH's director of opera Oliver Mears step out on to the stage and mount an unsuccessful attempt to grab the green, white and red flag from the dancer. Other staff members standing in the wings are seen shouting messages to the actor involved. The move has been condemned as 'completely inappropriate' by the operators of the theatre theatre, who said they strive for political impartiality. One spectator posted on X: 'Extraordinary scenes at the Royal Opera House tonight. 'During the curtain call for Il Trovatore one of the background artists came on stage waving a Palestine flag. Just stood there, no bowing or shouting. Someone off stage kept trying to take it off him. Incredible.' Musician and Opera enthusiast Stephen Ratcliffe wrote on X: 'Controversy at end of Trovatore @rbo_org tonight when an extra /chorus member unfurled a Palestinian flag. Off stage manager tried to grapple with him but he held his ground. Bet he won't be working there again.' An ROH spokesperson said the display was a spontaneous act by the artist which was not approved by the theatre and was 'completely inappropriate for a curtain call'. More Trending They said: 'The display of the flag was spontaneous and unauthorised action by the artist. 'It was not approved by the Royal Ballet and Opera and is not in line with our commitment to political impartiality.' The show was the last in a series of 11 performances of Adele Thomas' production of il Trovatore at the opera house, the BBC reported. Verdi's four-act opera sees troubadour Manrico go head to head with rival Count di Luna for their lover Leonora's heart, while a devastating curse threatens to put an unexpected spin on events. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Dozens more Palestinians 'shot dead by Israeli troops while seeking aid' MORE: Three women arrested on terror charges after van driven into defense factory MORE: Over 70 arrests at UK protests after Israel kills 59 Palestinians
The Herald Scotland
18 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scuffle reportedly breaks out at Royal Opera House after Palestine flag unfurled
A spokesperson for the Royal Ballet and Opera said: 'The display of the flag was an unauthorised action by the artist. The flag was unfurled at the end of a performance of Il Trovatore (Fiona Hanson/PA) 'It was not approved by the Royal Ballet and Opera and is a wholly inappropriate act.' In one of the videos, the audience could be heard applauding and cheering while the man was shaking the flag, before one audience member says 'oh my god' as a person attempts to take the flag off him. The incident came on the closing night of an 11-night run of the production, which was a four-act opera by Giuseppe Verdi. One poster on X, who claimed to have been a member of the audience, said: 'Extraordinary scenes at the Royal Opera House tonight. 'During the curtain call for Il Trovatore one of the background artists came on stage waving a Palestine flag. Just stood there, no bowing or shouting. Someone off stage kept trying to take it off him. Incredible.' It comes as a large number of performers show their support for the people of Palestine amid the war in Gaza. Numerous musical artists at this year's Glastonbury Festival offered messages of support during their sets, including Kneecap, Bob Vylan, Wolf Alice, and Amyl And The Sniffers. During her band's set Wolf Alice singer Ellie Rowsell told the crowd at the Other Stage: 'Whilst we have the stage for just a little bit longer, we want to express our solidarity with the people of Palestine. 'No-one should ever be afraid to do that.' Following their performances, Kneecap and Bob Vylan faced an investigation into their sets by Avon and Somerset Police. During Bob Vylan's performance, rapper Bobby Vylan, whose real name is thought to be Pascal Foster-Robinson, 34, chanted 'death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)', while a member of Belfast rap group Kneecap joked fans should 'start a riot' outside his bandmate's upcoming court appearance. The investigation into Kneecap's performance at the Somerset festival has since been dropped by police who said they would take 'no further action' as there was 'insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence'.
