Palestinian solidarity actions were visible from the opening moments of this year’s Flow Festival in Helsinki, as several artists used their stage time to criticise Israel, Finland’s arms trade, and the event’s ownership structure.
The festival began on Friday at Suvilahti, with Finnish artist Litku Klemetti opening her performance on the Silver Arena stage by holding a Palestinian flag and delivering a short speech condemning the situation in Gaza. She thanked the Flow Strike campaign, which has called for a boycott of the festival over alleged links between its owner, private equity firm KKR, and Israeli companies.
Klemetti said she had researched Gaza’s history and current events in recent weeks, describing what is happening as genocide and urging the audience to support Palestinians financially. She announced she would donate her festival fee to an aid organisation providing water and food in Gaza. During her set, small Palestinian flags were distributed in the audience, and side screens displayed QR codes linking to a UN food aid page.
Later performances continued the theme. The Saimaa band’s set included chants of “Free Palestine” from the crowd. Musician Vilma Jää dedicated her song Saatanan saalistaja to Palestinians, describing the performance as a way to process collective grief. Rapper Turisti’s stage featured both Palestinian and Democratic Republic of the Congo flags, reflecting his family background.
On Saturday, political statements escalated during the midnight show by Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap, one of the festival’s headliners. The group criticised Finland’s government and KKR from the stage, leading the audience in chants of “Fuck KKR”. A large screen behind them displayed text accusing Finland of enabling events in Palestine by supplying “advanced weapons” to Israel.
Academic commentary on Finnish arms exports to Israel was projected during the performance. Tampere Peace Research Institute doctoral researcher Kari Paasonen was quoted stating that while most exports involved components integrated into other products, Finland’s arms purchases from Israel have been more significant, benefiting Israel’s defence industry.
The performance also included the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza war and the slogan “Free Palestine” on screen. The crowd responded by waving Palestinian and Irish flags and chanting in support. Kneecap members wore Palestinian keffiyehs, and one called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal.
Other Saturday acts joined the protests. Before Olga’s set, a screen displayed a QR code reading “Support Palestine” along with a message urging Finland to recognise Palestine as a state. The same QR code appeared during performances by Pehmoaino and Good Boys, with Pehmoaino ending her set by projecting a Palestinian flag. Ringa Manner, vocalist of the band Ruusut, told the audience not to become numb to the situation, saying no action was too small to matter.
The Flow Strike campaign, which initiated calls for a boycott, argues that KKR’s investment links to Israeli companies make its involvement in the festival unacceptable during the Gaza conflict. KKR acquired Flow’s parent company, Superstruct Entertainment, in 2024. Superstruct is one of the world’s largest live event organisers, with other holdings including Finland’s Tuska Festival.
Festival organisers have said they do not understand the boycott demands and allow political expression on stage, including the display of flags up to A4 size in the audience. Pro-Palestinian gestures and messages were also visible at last year’s event.
HT
