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The Istanbul Governor’s Office canceled the concert of Algerian-born French singer Enrico Macias that was scheduled for Friday at Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theater.
The governor’s office said, “Intense calls have been made on social media platforms to protest the concert event scheduled for Sept. 5 in Sisli District Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theater.”
Officials argued that protests would cause problems for demonstrators. The statement added, “Demonstrations to protest the genocide that Israel continues in Gaza and its supporters would put young people in an unlawful position and cause grievances.”
Authorities banned all public gatherings in and around the theater on Sept. 5 between 12:01 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. The ban covered concerts, demonstrations, press statements, and sit-ins.
Enrico Macias faced growing opposition in Türkiye because of his known support for Israel.
Calls for protest spread across social media in recent days. Public pressure led to the decision to cancel the concert.
The organization Free Thought and Education Rights Association (Ozgur-Der) had called for a protest in Harbiye.
It said, “We protest the presence in Türkiye of Zionist settler Enrico Macias, who called for death for Hamas.” After the cancellation, the group announced on its X account that the planned protest was no longer necessary.
The governor’s office presented the move as a measure to protect demonstrators from legal risks. The statement emphasized that young people could “end up in an unlawful position” if they joined the planned protests.
Enrico Macias was born in Constantine, Algeria, in 1938.
He moved to France in 1961 and rose to fame with his song "Adieu Mon Pays". He later became an internationally recognized artist with songs in French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Hebrew, and Greek.
Macias performed with Turkish singer Ajda Pekkan several times, including a concert at Paris Olympia in 1976. He last gave a concert in Istanbul in 2019, when he described Türkiye as his “second homeland.”
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