A scuffle broke out at the Royal Opera House in London on Saturday evening after a cast member unfurled a Palestinian flag on stage during the curtain call of Verdi's Il trovatore.
Video footage shared on social media shows the performer, identified by the Telegraph as Daniel Perry, a self-described 'queer dance artist', holding the flag aloft as other cast members bowed. A staff member attempted to remove the flag, leading to a brief tug-of-war before Perry regained possession and continued displaying it.
The Royal Ballet and Opera said in a statement: 'The display of the flag was spontaneous and unauthorised action by the artist. It was not approved by the Royal Ballet and Opera and is not in line with our commitment to political impartiality.'
Perry, a freelance choreographer and DJ who studied at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, had previously posted pro-Palestinian content on social media, including a call for theatres to boycott Coca-Cola. The Royal Opera House has the King as its official patron.
