The appearance of pro-Palestine chants during a Fontaines D.C. concert at the Roskilde Festival has ignited controversy, drawing strong opinions from politicians and raising questions about artistic freedom and the festival’s role as a platform for political expression.

Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt expressed his disapproval of messages he interprets as calling for the elimination of Israel, stating such views have “no place anywhere.” While he acknowledged the need for others to assess the artistic or political nature of the event, he urged the festival to consider its platform.

The incident occurred when the band Fontaines D.C. paused their musical performance to voice support for Palestine. Some audience members joined in chanting slogans like “Free, free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” while others left the concert.

The slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is particularly contentious, with some viewing it as a call for Palestinian freedom and others interpreting it as a call for the destruction of Israel.

Katrine Daugaard, cultural spokesperson for Liberal Alliance, criticized the festival for becoming increasingly exclusionary, arguing that ordinary people were being “taken hostage in an activist show.” She also suggested a lack of diversity in the political messages conveyed at the festival.

Pia Kjærsgaard, cultural spokesperson for the Danish People’s Party, labeled the event “stupid” and opposed mixing politics with music at the festival.

However, Trine Pertou Mach, head of policy and press for the Unity List, expressed surprise at the negative reactions, viewing the band’s action as a brief expression against war crimes and for a free Palestine. She questioned why defending Israel’s actions should be immune from criticism.

Helle Bonnesen, cultural spokesperson for the Conservative People’s Party, voiced concern that festival guests were being exposed to unwanted political messages and emphasized the need for debate to occur on “proper premises” rather than through one-sided statements, which she considered propaganda. She cautioned Roskilde Festival against repeating what she saw as the mistakes of Pride, which she claimed suffered financially due to its political statements.

Roskilde Festival defended its decision to allow the pro-Palestine segment, stating that it did not exceed the festival’s guidelines and emphasized its respect for artistic freedom of expression. The festival also distanced itself from any interpretation of the slogan “from the river to the sea” that involves violence.