Scuffle on stage at London opera as performer unfurls Palestinian flag

LONDON, United Kingdom -- London's Royal Opera House on Sunday condemned as "wholly inappropriate" the actions of a performer who held up a Palestinian flag onstage at the end of a performance.

Video footage posted online shows a brief scuffle at the edge of the stage as a figure dressed in a shirt and tie unsuccessfully attempts to stop the performer.

The incident in the British capital on Saturday during the curtain call came on the closing night of an 11-night run of Il Trovatore, a four-act opera by Giuseppe Verdi.

"Extraordinary scenes at the Royal Opera House tonight," a person who claimed to have been in the audience posted on X.

"During the curtain call for Il Trovatore one of the background artists came on stage waving a Palestine flag. Just stood there, no bowing or shouting. Someone off stage kept trying to take it off him. Incredible."

A spokesperson for the Royal Ballet and Opera in London's Covent Garden said the "display of the flag was an unauthorised action by the artist".

The incident comes after numerous artists including Kneecap, Bob Vylan, Wolf Alice, and Amyl and The Sniffers offered messages of support for people in Gaza at this year's Glastonbury festival.

Police are still investigating duo Bob Vylan, whose frontman led a chant against the Israeli army at the festival.

Kneecap's Liam O'Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, has also been charged with a "terror" offence over alleged support for banned organisations Hamas and Hezbollah in connection with an earlier performance.

© Agence France-Presse