Slovenia’s pro-Palestinian concert draws crowds amid Israel policy dispute

As Slovenia-Israel rapprochement continues under the current government, a large part of Slovenia's civil society is stepping up their opposition to this and their support for Palestine.

Their latest effort was a high-profile concert headlined by popular musicians that drew a crowd of people, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

Hosting the Concert for Palestine, the Festival Hall in Ljubljana was packed on the evening of 8 October. An expression of disagreement with the government's Israel policy, the event was originally meant to take place in Republic Square, a landmark venue in front of the Parliament House, but because of the rain it was moved indoors.

The concert attracted a lot of interest, and due to the venue capacity of some 800 visitors, many were waiting in front of the Festival Hall to be let in in the event of potential early departures.

Held by the NGO 8 March Institute, the coalition of civil society organisations Voice of the People and the student collective En Dva Svetova, the protest concert heard warnings about inhumane conditions and the horrors of war, as well as dissatisfaction with Slovenia's foreign policy and calls for peace.

The key slogans were "Not In Our Name", "Free Palestine" and "Against the Genocidal Politics", the last of which was also displayed on the stage.

Radio personality and music connoisseur Jure Longyka was the host of the evening. On average, one child dies in Gaza every day due to Israeli attacks, despite the so-called ceasefire in place, and many injured and sick children in Gaza lack appropriate care, he told the multigenerational crowd, stressing: "This is inhumane and unacceptable."

Popular band takes a stand

One of the most high-profile performers at the event was Bojan Cvjetićanin, the frontman of the pop rock band Joker Out, who represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023. They are massive in Slovenia, but have also toured and gained fans abroad.

Joker Out disagree "with the politics that supports genocide," Cvjetićanin told the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). "We do not agree that our government can overnight, without any consultation, in the name of the entire nation decide something this serious, decide to take a side."

When it comes to humanitarian issues, genocide or anything similar to that, it is the responsibility of everyone, not just musicians but people in general, to speak up and stand on the right side of history, Cvjetićanin's bandmate Jan Peteh said.

The line-up included other well-known local musicians such as singer-songwriter Jani Kovačič, soprano singer Irena Preda, Boris Kokalj of the band Kokosy, and rapper Zlatko, who is known for taking vocal, sometimes controversial, stances on various issues.

Kovačič, meanwhile, is seen as a sort of "Slovenian Bob Dylan", and his protest songs really got the crowd going. He told the STA that "the genocide that is happening, the blindness of Europe and others, it's so painful".

Promoting active citizenship

The event was also a call to active citizenship, Longyka said, calling on people to turn out for the 11 October referenda.

In the foyer of the hall there were stalls displaying protest T-shirts, pamphlets and other products made to support Palestine. Everything was free, but donations were accepted.

The current right-wing government has been re-establishing friendly relations with Israel since taking office in June, advocating a more pragmatic foreign policy prioritising Slovenia's interests. One of the main rapprochement steps was the opening of Israel's embassy in Ljubljana, which sparked a large protest.

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