Hammersmith Apollo evacuated for bomb threat at Iranian singer’s concert

10 October, 2022

Hammersmith

London’s Eventim Apollo venue in Hammersmith was evacuated last night following a bomb threat during an Iranian singer’s concert.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said they received an anonymous call “making a threat towards a music venue” at 8pm on Sunday night (October 9) while Dariush Eghbali was performing.

The statement added that, though there was “nothing to indicate that the threat made was genuine,” police attended the venue to speak to management, who then decided to evacuate the venue in the interest of safety.

A Met spokesperson added: “Nothing of suspicion had been brought to the attention of staff but at around 20.40pm, the venue management took the decision to evacuate as a precaution.”

After the venue was evacuated, many gathered outside to show their support of the ongoing Iranian protests against the country’s government and its treatment of women.

See a number of photos and videos from last night’s incident below.

This weekend, Dua Lipa became the latest artist to share her support for women in Iran as protests continue in the country.

The protests have come in the wake of the death of 22-year-old Masha Amini, who died in Tehran last month (September 16) after being arrested for not wearing her hijab in accordance with government standards. Police claimed she suffered heart failure at the station, although witnesses have claimed Amini was severely beaten by the authorities.

Lipa shared a number of photos of women who have also since died on Instagram. She wrote: “Sarina Esmailzadeh, 16, beaten to death by Iranian security forces for protesting for women’s rights in Iran. Nika Shakarami, 16, killed after burning her headscarf in protest. Hadis Najafi, 23, shot multiple times during demonstrations sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, after her arrest by the country’s morality police.”

She continued: “Just four young women out of more than 100 protestors to pay with their lives,” Lipa continued in her post. “An estimated 1,200 more are in police custody. Please don’t turn away, keep the world watching. Every one of us can lend our platform and together we can make some fkn noise. I stand with the women of Iran.”

Others in the music community to have shared their support include Halsey, Bebe Rexha, Pearl Jam, Justin Bieber, Ricky Martin and Yungblud.

The post Hammersmith Apollo evacuated for bomb threat at Iranian singer’s concert appeared first on NME.