Muse have cancelled a forthcoming gig in Istanbul.

Here’s the context: Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu had been due to run in the 2028 Turkish presidential election, but on March 19th he was arrested on corruption charges. He denies them and there’s a widespread belief the move was to silence him on behalf of current president Erdogan. Huge protests have seen thousands arrested by police.

Promoter Abdulkadir Ozkan commented on these pro-democracy protestors, calling some treasonous, and it’s his company organising the Muse gig, prompting fans to reach out to Muse to tell them don’t play, don’t co-operate with him, he’s on a boycott list. Turkish singer Gaye Su Akyol personally appealed to Muse and other acts.

Muse issued a statement today: “After careful consideration and hearing the feedback from our fans whilst fully respecting their concerns, our show in Istanbul will be now postponed until 2026 so we can ensure DBL Entertainment will not be involved.”