Irish band say festival set cut short over Palestinian flag | The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentNext articleIndependent Bulletin homepageSocial PartnerWe are 8 logo (opens in a new tab)AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleHolly PatrickSaturday 23 August 2025 15:00 BSTIrish band The Mary Wallopers ‘cut off’ at festival for ‘having a Palestinian flag’Irish band The Mary Wallopers claim their performance at Victorious Festival in Portsmouth was cut short on Friday for displaying a Palestinian flag on stage.Footage showed the folk group with the flag and beginning their set by chanting "Free Palestine and f*** Israel."A spokesperson for Victorious Festival stated the band's set was ended due to a "discriminatory" chant, not the flag.The festival clarified its policy prohibits flags of any kind, but respects artists' right to express views. “Although a flag was displayed on stage contrary to our policy, and this was raised with the artist’s crew, the show was not ended at this point, and it was the artist’s decision to stop the song,” they said.Watch the video in full above.In fullBand ‘cut off’ at UK festival for ‘having a Palestinian flag’ on stageThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in