Overview
- Two women, Francesca Humi and Chloe Grace Laws, were told to remove FC Palestina shirts or face ejection at Lorde’s 16 November concert in London.
- Security staff said clothing with country names, flags or emblems violated venue rules and could cause offence to other attendees.
- The O2 says it has no blanket ban on clothing referencing social causes, religion, politics or nationality and described the action as a staff error.
- The arena will review procedures and retraining, and senior executive Steve Sayer apologized directly, offering reimbursements and invitations to another event.
- The incident echoes a 2024 case involving a “Free Gaza” shirt, prompting renewed scrutiny of the venue’s handling of political expression.