Greek singer Despina Vandi cancels Çeşme concert due to Turkish flag dispute

A controversial incident occurred when Greek singer Despina Vandi, who is currently on tour to celebrate her 30th music anniversary, refused to perform at her scheduled concert in Çeşme, Izmir.

Vandi reportedly demanded the removal of the Turkish flag and an Ataturk poster from the stage, which the Turkish organizers had hung without prior notice or agreement, turning the musical event into a politically charged atmosphere.

The concert, organized by the Izmir branch of the Turkish Educational Foundation (TEV), was to take place at the Çeşme Open Air Theater for educational purposes. The theater was packed with spectators waiting for Vandi’s performance.

Gülnur Sonbayraktar, president of the foundation’s Izmir branch, addressed the crowd and explained that the artist could not perform due to unforeseen circumstances and offered a ticket refund to those who wished.

The TEV choir, which was to perform together with Despina Vandi, sang the “Izmir March” and the audience joined in.

Afterwards, Çeşme Mayor Lal Denizli took the stage and expressed the municipality’s full support for the educational concert, but announced that Vandi did not want to perform due to the presence of the Turkish flag and the Atatürk poster.

Despina Vandi later took to social media to explain her decision, accusing the organizers of turning the event into an “unacceptable and non-agreed political demonstration.” She wrote: “With absolute respect for the audience who would have honored me with their presence at my concert scheduled for today, I announce that I will not be able to attend due to the actions of the Turkish Education Foundation, which decided to change the character of the event by giving it an unacceptable and non-agreed political approach.”