A performance at the BBC Proms was disrupted on Friday after pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) at the Royal Albert Hall.
The group, Jewish Artists for Palestine, halted the concert for more than 10 minutes by unfurling black fabric banners from the upper tiers of the venue. The handwritten signs read “complicit in genocide” and “Jewish Artists for Palestine”, prompting the BBC to apologise for the disturbance.
“The MSO has blood on its hands,” one woman shouted during the protest.
In a statement, Jewish Artists for Palestine said they acted in opposition to “Zionist funding, censorship and complicity in our cultural institutions” over the Gaza war, naming both the BBC and the MSO. They accused the orchestra of being “complicit in genocide” after it cancelled a performance by pianist Jayson Gillham last year following his public support for Gazans. Members of the group shouted “you silenced Jayson Gillham” during Friday’s protest.
The group also criticised the funding of the MSO and raised concerns about Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili performing with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
Boos rang out from the audience as the protest continued. The MSO has previously admitted that its decision to cancel Gillham’s concert was a mistake.
On Friday night, the orchestra was eventually able to restart their programme after security escorted the protesters out of the hall.
Angela Tanner, who was sitting in the stalls, told the BBC: “The whole programme had to start again and has been put into a different order after the piano was put onto the stage and taken off again.
“There was lots of booing from the audience then eventually they [the organisers] announced thanks for our patience.”
Another audience member added: “Overall, the atmosphere seemed to be strongly against the protest, with many members of the audience annoyed and shouting obscenities with anger at the protesters.”
In a statement, the BBC said: “We are sorry about the disruption to our coverage of the BBC Proms on Radio 3 tonight.
“There was a disturbance at tonight’s Prom which meant the concert was paused for a few minutes and the live broadcast on BBC Radio 3 diverted to pre-recorded music. The incident was dealt with swiftly by the Royal Albert Hall.
“Our priority is always the safety and wellbeing of everyone who attends the BBC Proms, and we would like to thank our staff and the performers whose response helped keep disruption to a minimum.”
