ANKARA (Reuters) -British singer Robbie Williams said city authorities called off his upcoming Istanbul concert “in the interests of public safety” after Turkish NGOs and social media users campaigned for the event to be cancelled and protested against his appearance.

The October 7 concert was scheduled to take place on the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on southern Israeli communities that led to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

For days, Turkish social media accounts and pro-Gaza NGOs had been calling for the event to be scrapped, accusing Williams of being “Zionist”.

The 51-year-old singer has faced renewed scrutiny in predominantly Muslim Turkey over his family’s Jewish heritage and his 2015 performance in Israel, which drew criticism from pro-Palestinian groups.

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