Irish band Fontaines D.C. display pro-Palestine, anti-genocide messages at London concert

The popular Irish rock band Fontaines D.C displayed messages during their sold-out concert in London on Saturday which read "Free Palestine" and "Israel is committing genocide, use your voice", in yet another statement of pro-Palestinian solidarity from musicians.

The messages were displaced on large screens on both sides of the stage, while an image of the Palestinian flag was projected on the middle of the band’s stage.

Fontaines D.C.’s lead singer, Grian Chatten, also followed chants of "Free Palestine" started by the audience during the Finsbury Park concert, which drew an attendance of 45,000.

A piece of music equipment on the north London stage was wrapped in a Palestinian flag and onlookers also waved them in the crowd.

Chatten had also joined fellow Irish group Kneecap for a performance earlier that day, and shouted "Free Palestine" alongside the hip-hop trio.

The Irish band’s messages come amid an ongoing media uproar over displays of solidarity with Gaza in the UK, particularly after punk-rap duo Bob Vylan led a "Death to the IDF" chant at the Glastonbury music festival last weekend.

The chant, one of many slogans Boby Vylan’s frontman made during the performance, drew condemnation from pro-Israel groups and government officials, including Prime Minister Kier Starmer.

As a result, the duo have had their US visas revoked for an upcoming tour in the country and have been dropped by their agency. Bobby Vylan, the group’s lead singer, responded that they were being "targeted" for speaking up against Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed over 56,000 Palestinians since 7 October, 2023.

Dublin-based Fontaines D.C. displayed a similar message during their Glastonbury festival set last weekend. On giant screens projected onto metal barriers, the band also wrote "Israel is committing genocide, use your voice".

The band displayed the same message during their set at the Primavera Sound festival held in the Spanish city of Barcelona, earlier last month.

In December 2023, Fontaines D.C. released a collaborative EP 'Ceasefire' with English triphop collective Massive Attack and Scottish hip-hop group Young Fathers to raise money for Doctors Without Borders in Gaza.

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