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'.
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Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
‘My dad was a monster but she's a sick psycho,' says Fred & Rose West's son of parents' vile abuse in unheard interview
A FORGOTTEN interview with the son of evil serial killers Fred and Rose West has revealed the torture he suffered at the hands of his parents. This includes sleeping above the bodies of their victims buried under the cellar. 9 Mugshots of evil killers Fred and Rose West, who were arrested in 1994 Credit: PA:Press Association Images 9 The Wests' 'house of horrors' in Cromwell Street, Gloucester Credit: PA:Press Association 9 The victims were found buried in the creepy cellar Credit: SWNS:South West News Service The previously unpublished accounts of Barry West give a harrowing insight into what it was like growing up in Britain's House of Horrors. Fred and Rose West between them committed at least 12 murders of girls and young women between 1967 and 1987 in Gloucestershire. In 1994 the couple were arrested and charged - with Fred taking his own life the following January in prison, while Rose was sentenced to 10 life terms with a whole life order. Journalist and author Howard Sounes has shared his unearthed interview with Barry, two years before he died of an overdose in 2020, aged 40, for the first time. 'My dad was a solid monster,' Barry told Sounes, reports The Mirror. 'But she [Rose] was a complete psycho. That's what people don't know: My mum was, child abuse-wise, the main person. "My mum was completely sick in the head. She beat me way more than my dad did, and enjoyed it, absolutely enjoyed it.' The West children were made to sleep in the cellar of the family's home in Cromwell Street, Gloucester, under which they buried many of their victims. Sometimes they were strapped to their beds - and Rose wore a the cellar keys around her neck like a prison guard. The evil mum would regularly snap and lash out - hitting and slapping, as well as stabbing and strangling her kids. Her weapon of choice was often a novelty giant wooden spoon, which she'd wield like a baseball bat. Pathetic last days of Rose West revealed as serial killer monster can barely walk, has no friends & has new fake identity Barry told Sounes his nose is "on a slant" due to the amount of times Rose broke it, and has "massive scars" on the back of his head where he was struck over and over again. He went on to describe the "intense enjoyment" his mum got out of "beating the s*** out of me". Barry recalls how one Christmas Day he hid some sprouts in a tissue on the back of a chair, and when Rose found them days later she forced him to eat the rotting vegetables. He said she put her hand over his mouth and made him swallow his own sick. Barry and his brothers were forced to grow their hair long and wore their sisters' hand-me-downs to school - while their sisters were made to cut their hair short and wear boys' shoes. He said he and all his siblings had speech impediments growing up, a sign of child abuse. Barry would get his "face punched in" at school every day, but was scared to go home. He recalled how Fred would constantly talk about sex in front of his kids and about wanting to take his daughters' virginity, as well as the family tradition of incest, and sex with animals. 9 The Wests forced their kids to sleep in the cellar 9 Rose took joy in beating her children Credit: PA:Press Association 9 Police digging up the garden at the property in Gloucester, where their victims were buried Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Fred's main ambition was to see Rose mounted by a bull. Barry said he was forced into sexual situations with his mum aged eight or nine. The kids were often forced to make phone bookings for "Mandy" - Rose's prostitute alias, and Barry was even offered as an extra for clients. A "giant man" became a regular who would rape Barry at the house. He said the children were even made to watch homemade porn featuring their mum and she kept different underwear in labelled jars for each client. There is a chance, according to some reports, that Fred was not Barry's biological father at all, and he was the product of an incestuous relationship between Rose and her own dad Bill Letts. He had allegedly abused her since she was a child, and regularly visited the Cromwell Street house, according to Rose's notes from prison. The Wests' murder victims were usually attacked and killed, then often dismembered in the family bathroom. Most of their children maintained they had no idea what was going on. One child, who Sounes does not identify, however, claimed years later they were locked in a cupboard under the stairs and could hear shouting and screaming. When they came out, fresh concrete had been poured in the cellar, they claimed. Barry said the children didn't run away because they considered their dad "like God" who would "find you". 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Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Barry Gibb's son Stephen reveals 'survivor's guilt' after growing up with The Bee Gees
EXCLUSIVE: Stephen Gibb, the son of Bee Gees legend Barry, has opened up about growing up around the band and bravely shares his struggles and excitement over his new music His dad may be one of the most recognisable singers of all time, but Stephen Gibb admits that he prefers taking a step back. The 51-year-old son of Bee Gees icon, Barry Gibb, has grown up with music in his blood, with his dad and uncles performing across the globe – and for the family. But now, London-born Stephen is stepping into his own having already performed with some of the biggest names in the business, including with his dad Barry, at his final performance to date on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival in 2017. Now residing in South Florida, Stephen and his Kill The Robot bandmates have released their debut self-titled album, and he reveals that although his father was obsessed with songwriting, this came later for the guitarist. "My dad wasn't obsessed with guitar playing, I was, he was obsessed with writing songs and singing," he exclusively told the Mirror. He added: "That came for me later. But the thing that gets asked of me a lot is, how come I'm not the full time lead singer of Kill The Robot? The fact of the matter is, I have a great singer in Gil [Bitton], and he's a great performer. I really just enjoy playing the guitar. Singing is fun as well but being the son of a Bee Gee and being a 'singer' always seemed daunting to me. "Why? I don't know what else to compare it to, but if your dad was Michael Jordan, maybe you should get into baseball. If I get into pop music and being a singer, they're going to destroy me. And that would also be kind of semi-not authentic to me. I'm a rock and metal guy who loves all kinds of music." But he is partial to pop music, after all, his dad and uncles were the Bee Gees. "I have a deep appreciation for the form when it's done at the highest level, I've seen that with the Bee Gees." Stephen, however, is much more comfortable with his guitar, having grown up listening to Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Metallica and Van Halen. Aged just 16, Stephen admits his heart was left broken when blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan, a hero of his, died in 1990 in a helicopter crash. "He finally got sober, his life together, making the best music of his life," he said. Stephen added: "Sometimes, I think the hardest part is, especially in a family like mine, there's a little bit of survivor's guilt." In his younger years, Stephen battled drugs and alcohol before getting clean. He admits he questions how he survived this, after his uncle Andy, aged just 30, died as a result of myocarditis after the use of cocaine had weakened his heart. "Eventually, you have to forgive yourself. You've got to live your life and accept it, God's got a plan, I don't know what it is, but I'm here for it," he said. Growing up with a global icon as a dad, Stephen quickly had to discover who his real friends were. "The Bee Gees were still a very big band, the hardest thing is knowing who your real friends are," he said, adding: "That's a process, you might have to blow your life up for you to figure out who your real friends are, but you do. "The big misconception a lot of people have is that because a family is famous, it's somehow not affected by certain things that everyone else is affected by. The fact of the matter is, like most celebrities that I've met in my life, are real people that have problems, just like everybody else – it's just that they have this unimaginable skill or gift that they're able to bestow upon the world. It comes with a price." Growing up, he followed his dad on the road and to the studios, but around the ages of eight and nine, he soon realised that not everybody's dad was a singer, never mind a global icon. "My dad and his brothers, we used to be a very close-knit, large family, we spent a lot of time together," he said, adding: "We would have cookouts at Maurice's house. The most powerful memories that all of us have, I can't speak for everybody, many nights after dinner, they would sit around and sing other people's songs, their favourite songs to entertain us. "I don't think it dawned on me until I was a little bit older, how special, unique and powerful their contributions were and are. You grow up as the oldest son of a guy that a lot of people know. The thing I'm most grateful for, I knew what it looked like, I knew what it took to be good at something that you really loved. It took obsession for my dad, all of them, 100 per cent commitment. 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There's no free lunch; it doesn't matter if you're Barry Gibb's son or John Lennon's son; they're not going to make it easy for you. It's a double-edged sword. "It's like 'Oh, your son has a band, does he sound like his dad?' I don't, people get disappointed that you have your own fingerprint." That fingerprint left Stephen "terrified and excited" for Kill The Robot's debut album. He admits it's "hard" to get people to listen to a new band, but the record is a "labour of love." "Making this album with some of my best friends, we had a lot of fun doing that," he beamed. He hopes that the record will please and entertain new fans, as well as fans who have stuck by him over the years. "My hope is now that it's out, people will see what Kill The Robot is as a band, they can find something that's comfortable for them in our music." Although the record experiences waves of different emotions, it has a slight touch of grief following the death of Brett Cosmo Thornberry, a friend of the band. Brett sadly died during the coronavirus lockdowns, when Gil had asked Stephen whether he wanted to write music, which he leapt at the chance, having believed he had already played his last gig. The record opens with Mothership, a metaphor of going to heaven, which is a conversation between Stephen, Gil and Brett. Another track, Western Shores, is dedicated to Foo Fighters icon, Taylor Hawkins, a dear friend of Stephen and his dad. "That was a tough one," he said of losing Taylor, who died in March 2022 after consuming 10 different drugs, including THC, tricyclic antidepressants, opioids, and benzodiazepines. "I just spoke to him days prior to losing him; it was a real shock for me and my dad. My dad was really close with him, and they would speak often at that time. Dad took it really hard. I'll never understand why some people get to stay and some people have to leave. Taylor was the best. 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Glasgow Times
7 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Mother of machete attack victim says ‘streets are bleeding' after killers jailed
Aspiring rapper Kelyan Bokassa said 'I want my mum' after he was mortally wounded in front of horrified passengers aboard the 472 bus in Woolwich, south-east London, on January 7. Two youths, aged 16, pleaded guilty to Kelyan's murder and having a knife. In a televised sentencing on Friday, Judge Mark Lucraft KC detained them for life and set minimum terms of 15 years and 10 months. Judge Lucraft said Kenyan's death was a 'senseless loss' of yet another young life to the 'horrors of knife crime'. One of the youths in the dock of the Old Bailey smiled as he was sent down. Bus CCTV image of two youths who cannot be named for legal reasons, who pleaded guilty to the murder of 14-year-old Kelyan Bokassa (Metropolitan Police/PA) Outside court, Kelyan's mother Marie Bokassa issued a call for action to end the bloodshed. In a statement read on her behalf, she said: 'To the Government and authorities. How many mothers like me, will it take? How many children must we bury before you act with urgency? 'Where are you? Where were you? I had no support from you when my son was alive and no support now that he is dead. A letter of condolence doesn't mean anything to us. 'Our streets are bleeding. Our cemeteries are full. Our prisons are overflowing. Pain and loss is becoming normalised. 'Our streets are no longer safe for our children. Public transport is no longer safe. Schools are no longer safe. You have lost control of London.' Marie Bokassa, centre, listens as Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lee, from Scotland Yard, who led investigation into the death of her son Kelyan, speaks outside the Old Bailey (Rosie Shead/PA) She added: 'To the young people who carry knives, I beg you to stop before you raise up blades. Think of your own mother. Think of the mothers who will cry every night, like I do, will scream into her pillow, who will walk past her child's empty room and collapse with grief. 'Don't let a moment of anger steal your future. Don't let the streets raise you in a way your mother never would. There is no power in death, there is only loss.' Earlier, prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said Kelyan had boarded the 472 bus just after 2pm to attend an appointment at the Youth Justice Centre in Woolwich. CCTV showed Kelyan on the back seat of the top deck, with a knife in the waistband of his trousers. Ms Heer said the teenager looked around and out of the windows before taking his seat 'giving every impression that he was concerned for his safety'. The defendants, who cannot be named, boarded the bus 20 minutes later each armed with identical machetes hidden in their clothes. The pair walked towards Kelyan 'with purpose' and withdrew their blades before immediately stabbing him without uttering a word to their victim. Ms Heer said: 'Since Kelyan Bokassa was seated on the back seat, he was cornered, unable to escape as the defendants repeatedly thrust their knives towards him, smiling as they did so.' The attack lasted around 14 seconds, with the youths thrusting the machetes towards Kelyan 27 times. Ms Heer went on: 'Kelyan Bokassa had no time to reach for his own knife, which remained in his trousers, and instead tried in vain to protect himself with his school bag. 'There were several other passengers on the top deck who fled in panic when they realised what was happening. They describe hearing intense screaming from the back of the bus and the victim shouting, 'Help. Help. I've been stabbed'. 'They describe both defendants making quick, forceful movements towards Kelyan Bokassa as he tried to defend himself.' The bus driver activated his emergency alarm just before 2.27pm and the defendants fled when the vehicle stopped at Woolwich Ferry. Kelyan stumbled down the aisle to the stairs, where another passenger went to help him. The boy was heard to say: 'Take me to my mum's. I want my mum,' before his legs buckled, bleeding heavily from a wound to the leg. Members of the public flagged down a passing police car and officers found Kelyan had collapsed and his body was limp. Despite attempts to save him, Kelyan died at the scene at 3.23pm. One of the machetes was thrown into the River Thames, but was later recovered by police. The defendants were quickly identified from CCTV on the bus and arrested. In a victim impact statement read in court, Ms Bokassa said: 'At least my son is at peace, and those two kids are going to have a really tough time. 'I ask myself what has happened to those two boys that has resulted in that terrible act of violence, and I cannot imagine how can they be so angry. 'What they did was horrific and I do not know what has led them to do this, and maybe I will never.' The court heard both defendants have previous convictions for carrying blades in public. Floral tributes are left next to a bus stop on Woolwich Church Road in Woolwich, south London (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Samantha Yelland, senior crown prosecutor for CPS London North, said: 'This was a savage and sustained attack on a 14-year-old boy which was carried out in broad daylight on a busy bus. 'We worked closely with police and were thankfully helped by clear CCTV evidence which both placed the defendants on the bus and showed one of them discarding the machete. They had little choice but to plead guilty.' Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Lee, from Scotland Yard, said it had been a 'deeply troubling' case. She said: 'The harsh reality in London is that violence disproportionately affects young black men and boys. 'The fact we're seeing so many teenagers like Kelyan die should be at the forefront of the minds of every politician, every policy maker and everyone who wants better for children growing up in London. 'Without this collective effort, we won't be able to tackle knife crime in its entirety. 'And while I am pleased that Keylan's mother, Marie, has been spared the emotional turmoil of a trial, I know that she still desperately seeks to understand why three young lives could be considered so disposable.
