Within Temptation decided to cancel their appearance at Byblos Festival in Lebanon as an act of solidarity towards the band Mashrou’ Leila which was thrown out of the bill because of religious fanatics violent threats.”As you know, we were scheduled to play the Byblos Festival in Lebanon on August 7th. We have found out that another band called Mashrou’ Leila was pulled from the festival according to the festival committee due to security reasons after religious fanatics demanded their performance to be cancelled followed by violent threats. Apart from the fact that Lebanese authorities at this moment are not able to provide artists the security to perform in peace, we have decided to cancel our show in Byblos in solidarity with Mashrou’ Leila and in support of tolerance, freedom of speech and expression. For you, our fans in Lebanon, it hurts to make this decision,” the band continued. “Our last show in Lebanon is still very vivid in our minds and hearts. We are looking forward to better days on which we will return to you in Lebanon”, reads the band’s official announcement. Note that Mashrou’ Leila features an openly gay singer, and the band’s lyrics tackle sectarianism, gender equality and homophobia.
