The Murder Capital have two German shows cancelled over plans to display Palestinian flag

The Murder Capital have had two shows in Germany called off over their plans to display the Palestinian flag on stage.

On Saturday, the band's gig at Club Gretchen in Berlin was cancelled after the venue heard of their intentions to show the Palestinian flag on stage, with a second concert in Cologne on Sunday cancelled for the same reason.

“We pulled in this morning, we had no idea that we weren’t allowed fly [the Palestinian] flag here today," said frontman James McGovern in a statement on Saturday. "We found out early this afternoon.”

The singer added that they suggested replacing the flag with a 'Free Palestine' banner, but that the venue would not have allowed that either.

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

The Dublin band played two impromptu acoustic gigs for fans, the first being outside the original venue in Berlin on Saturday and the second on the following evening in Cologne's Rheinpark.

“We arrived into Cologne this morning hoping that what happened in Berlin yesterday would be an isolated incident,"  McGovern in another statement on Sunday.  "But tonight’s venue, Gebäude 9, has also told us that we cannot have the Palestinian flag on our stage."

"We’ve tried everything we can to find another venue for tonight’s show, but it’s been impossible. So we’ll be putting on an acoustic show outdoors in a park somewhere this evening."

McGovern iterated that the band will continue to display the Palestinian flag, saying that it “needs to be on our stage and needs to be as visible everywhere in the world as possible.”

“These people are being eradicated, being starved, being bombed, and these war crimes and this genocide is being committed by the Israeli state, and funded and supported by governments around the world.

“Us having a flag on our stage at a rock show is not a political statement, it is a human reaction to a horrific and unimaginable situation. But this is not history, it’s happening right now, today. We stand forever with the people of Palestine. Free the people of Palestine. Love from us."

The situation follows similar cancellations for Kneecap, who had a number of shows in Germany pulled amid the fallout of their performances at Coachella. 

The Murder Capital are set to play a headline hometown show in the Iveagh Garden on. July 19. Tickets are available here.