Pro-Palestinian Protesters Interrupt Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Performance In London

Last Updated:August 30, 2025, 20:01 IST

The Jewish Artists for Palestine interrupted the performance at the Royal Albert Hall for more than 10 minutes on Friday night, accusing the organisation of "silencing artists"

The Royal Albert Hall in London, United Kingdom.

Pro-Palestine protesters interrupted a performance by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) at the BBC Proms in London on Friday, accusing the organisation of “silencing" the artists who have publicly criticised Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

The Jewish Artists for Palestine group interrupted the performance at the Royal Albert Hall for more than 10 minutes on Friday night, according to The Guardian. Some members shouted from the upper stalls, claiming that MSO “silenced artists" and “silenced protest".

Videos surfaced online showing some members of the group carrying a sign reading, “complicit in genocide", while a man was heard shouting, “The MSO has blood on its hands." The MSO has not immediately responded to the interruption.

In a statement, the Jewish Artists for Palestine said, “We reject Zionist funding, censorship and complicity in our cultural institutions." It also criticised the MSO for silencing Jayson Gillham, who is suing the organisation over a cancelled Melbourne concert he was contracted to perform at last year over his stance on the Gaza war.

Angela Tanner, one of the audience members, told the BBC that it took security “quite a while" to remove the protesters. “The whole programme had to start again and has been put into a different order after the piano was put on to the stage and taken off again," she said.

MSO Denies Discrimination Against Israel Critic

Prior to his cancelled concert, Gillham performed in a piece composed by Australian multimedia artist Connor D’Netto, dedicated to journalists who lost their lives in the Gaza conflict. During the concert, Gillham said over 100 Palestinian journalists had been killed in the Gaza crisis, and called it a “war crime".

In an email, the MSO said Gillham would no longer perform on August 15, 2024, because of “a series of introductory remarks" made without the organisation’s “approval". The group said Gillham was not allowed to use personal views that had caused “distress".

Later, the organisation issued a statement denying Gillham had been discriminated against because of his political views, saying the action taken against the artist was “not and never has been about free speech". However, it admitted to making “an error" in cancelling the performance.

In May, the federal court ordered Gillham’s case to proceed to trial, which is scheduled to begin on December 1.

London, United Kingdom (UK)

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