Lebanese activists call for Placebo ban

Placebo's decision to press ahead with a gig in Israel shortly after the IDF had shot some people in the head for trying to take aid to Gaza has caused a bit of upset in Lebanon.

Which is unfortunate, as they're meant to be playing Lebanon tomorrow. Not if Samah Idriss has his way, though:

'You are not welcome in Lebanon,' Lebanese writer and editor Samah Idriss said at a news conference jointly held by five non-governmental organisations on the eve of the concert in Beirut.

'The band must choose either to play in Lebanon or to play in a state that continuously violates rights,' Mr Idriss said on behalf of the groups, which include the Campaign to Boycott Israeli Supporters in Lebanon and the Campaign for the Lebanese Boycott of Zionism.

Hang about: it's one thing to worry about Placebo playing Israel, but if they're going to have to choose between not playing Lebanon or not playing states which show a bit of a disregard for people's rights, that's going to limit the number of tour dates they can look forward to. Most of the Americas, pretty much all of Europe and Africa, and more or less Australasia as a whole would be out.

Still, these are dangerous times, but surely Brian Molko is a communicator skilled enough to defuse the situation and show that Placebo take these things seriously:

rian Molko announced his 'endorsement' of Israel in an interview. The interviewer then asked if it was important to have Israel's endorsement these days, to which Molko quipped: 'Yeah, if you want to go sailing.' Molko's comment showed Placebo 'ignored the massacre last week against the Freedom Flotilla and went even further, announcing their support for Israel,' Rana al-Masri, one of the activists spearheading the boycott campaign, told AFP.

Possibly not the best time for the trademark quips, Brian.

The focus of the protests is that Tel Aviv festival, which we'd been led to believe Placebo wouldn't be playing. But apparently did.