DUBLIN BAND THE Murder Capital has said that it has had two shows in Germany cancelled over the presence of a Palestinian flag on stage, and their refusal to perform without it.

In a video posted yesterday to the band’s X account, the frontman of the band James McGovern told onlookers while holding a Palestinian flag that he was speaking only on behalf of the band, and not their management or crew. 

“We pulled in this morning, we had no idea that we weren’t allowed fly [the Palestinian] flag here today. We found out early this afternoon.”

He said that the band discussed what to do before deciding that they would not be taking the flag off the stage. They had talked about replacing the flag with a banner that said “Free Palestine”, but the Berlin venue would not allow the band to have that displayed onstage either, he said.

“So it’s not just about national flags, it’s about political statements,” McGovern continued. “And to us, this isn’t just a political statement, it’s a humanitarian statement.”

Today, McGovern said that the band had flown to Cologne in Germany, and were “hoping  that what happened in Berlin yesterday would be an isolated incident, but tonight’s venue has also told us that we cannot have the Palestinian flag onstage.

“We’ve tried everything we can to try and find another venue for tonight’s show but its been impossible.”

He said that the band would be putting on an acoustic show on outside instead.

“We stand forever with the people of Palestine,” he said.

Belfast rap trio Kneecap, who have faced intense scrutiny in recent weeks over comments regarding Israel and, separately, remarks on Tory MPs, replied to the band’s post on X saying, “Bualadh Bos to the lads”.