After the incident, the festival organizers announced that the concert was stopped due to the safety of the musicians. They also condemned the violence and emphasized that the event has historically been dedicated to peaceful cultural communication, community, and music.
Dobranotch itself has a long history connected with Galicia. According to the band, in its early years the musicians visited and performed in this region many times, thus establishing a close connection with the local traditional music and culture. After a long break, the band was invited to return to the Festival de Pardiñas.
According to M. Chramcov, several months before the event, the festival organizers informed the band that they support Palestine and that some spectators might bring Palestinian flags. The organizers also inquired how the musicians would react, considering the band’s ties to Jewish culture.
M. Chramcov said the band did not object but emphasized in advance that they did not want to be pressured to express political positions from the stage.
During Dobranotch’s performance, a few Palestinian flags were initially visible among the audience. Later, more appeared, and a huge Palestinian flag was unfurled in front of the stage. According to M. Chramcov, a small but very noisy group of people began chanting and holding signs demanding that the musicians “say something about Palestine.”
The band leader said that usually political statements on behalf of the band are not made from the stage. However, as the pressure increased, he decided to share his personal position.
M. Chramcov said he spoke about the growing polarization and radicalization worldwide, mentioning the Israel-Palestine conflict, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and political disagreements in the United States. His main message was simple – people should be kinder to each other.
However, according to him, this did not satisfy the protesters. They demanded that the musician continue speaking and tried to hand him a Palestinian flag to raise on stage.
M. Chramcov said he tried to explain that, in his opinion, the Israel-Palestine conflict is complex. But as soon as he uttered this word, the crowd reportedly began protesting even louder.
Soon the situation, according to the band leader, became aggressive. People shouted, insulted the musicians, and made hostile gestures. One person with a Palestinian flag managed to get on stage, and various objects, including stones, began to be thrown toward it. One hit a band member.
Read more Klaipėda port cargo handling grew by 7% this year to 23 million tons
At that point, the musicians decided to stop the performance.
According to M. Chramcov, as they were leaving the stage, one of the festival team members, clearly shaken by the situation, suggested simply shouting the slogan “Free Palestine” so that the concert could continue.
However, the band leader refused to do so.
“I support the right of all people, including Israelis and Palestinians, to live freely, with dignity and safety,” M. Chramcov explained his position. He said he did not think repeating political slogans under pressure would be meaningful or acceptable.
Later, the festival organizers officially announced that the concert was stopped for safety reasons. They also reaffirmed their support for Palestine.
According to M. Chramcov, after the concert, the band members found signs suggesting that the protest against them might have been planned and coordinated in advance. On social media, they found posts published even before the festival accusing the band of performing in “occupied Palestine.” It is believed this referred to Dobranotch’s previous performance in Tel Aviv. There were also calls to boycott the band’s concert.
M. Chramcov said this was the first time Dobranotch faced such hostility – both as a band performing Eastern European Jewish traditional music and as people who emigrated from Russia and speak out against the war.
“It is very upsetting and worrying that such a radicalized and hostile atmosphere could form at a traditional culture festival,” said the band leader.
According to him, the incident also revealed how difficult it has become to publicly discuss topics when performers are expected to make specific political statements instead of being allowed to express their own position or choose not to speak about politics from the stage at all.
“With great sadness, we observe the spread of violence and radicalization worldwide and wish everyone peace, safety, and freedom. We believe our music can unite people more than any political disputes. This is exactly what we want to focus our energy on,” said M. Chramcov.
Read more Message in Kaunas: «A woman tried to climb the structures of the Akropolis multi-storey car park»
