A few days after the minister of culture stressed that his ministry will not surrender to pressure from extremist groups regarding concerts, Alireza Ghorbani’s Eshtiag music group was prevented from holding a concert that had been scheduled for Wednesday February 25.
The group’s manager, Ali Razavi, said their concert in Golbahar, a city near Mashhad, was canceled by the order of the prosecutor. The concert was reportedly scheduled for two nights.
Razavi added that on the night of the concert, a group of people was standing at the venue, reminding the public that the concert was cancelled.
In recent months, there has been a concentrated effort by extremist forces in the establishment to stop music concerts, and despite permits from the Ministry of Culture, concerts have been cancelled by orders from hardline clerics and prosecutors.
Culture Minister Ali Jannati said his ministry is well aware of the law and regulations surrounding concerts and will stand firm behind the permits it issues for these events. However, the cancellation of the latest concert indicates that he needs to do more than make public statements to enforce his ministry’s decisions.
