Taylor Swift’s European tour did not go as smoothly as expected. Photo: Getty Images.

Taylor Swift is under pressure

On May 9, after a few months of rest, Taylor Swift restarted her Eras Tour world tour with a journey to conquer Europe, starting from Paris (France). As usual, the appearance of the beauty born in 1989 was like a storm “sweeping” every stop, with sold-out shows and bringing huge economic benefits to the cities.

However, along with the successful concerts, Taylor and the crew encountered a lot of unnecessary noise, making Europe the most unstable leg of the Eras Tour .

The beginning of Taylor’s string of bad luck was when the Eras Tour arrived in Lisbon (Portugal) after leaving Paris (France). Right before the first show on May 24, the crowd of fans became chaotic because they had to wait an hour longer than expected in hot weather to enter the Estádio da Luz stadium.

According to the announcement, the gate opens to spectators with valid tickets at 4:00 p.m. However, it was reported that fans were not allowed inside until 4:45 p.m. This delay made people who had been queuing for a long time become frustrated and shouted at the security staff: “Let us in.” The situation then became even more difficult to control when 200 spectators broke through the fence, passed the security gate and entered the stadium in terror of the security team.

After the incident, Taylor did not apologize for the delay and kept fans waiting. The organizers also did not respond to emails when asked about the reason for the late start.

During his stay in Lisbon, Taylor faced another problem: being pressured by fans to clarify his stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Not only did she share an open letter calling on the female singer to condemn Israel’s attacks on the border city of Rafah (southern Gaza Strip) – a shelter for Palestinian people, including women and children – With the hashtag #SwiftiesForPalestine on social networks, Taylor’s fans also brought banners, slogans and Palestinian flags to remind their idol to be responsible.

A similar situation also occurred at concerts at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid (Spain) on May 29.

Pressure mounted on the Anti-hero singer when her longtime producer, Jack Antonoff, and Eras Tour band Paramore both took steps to protest the Gaza genocide.

Taylor has not yet responded to fans’ calls. She is known to always keep silent regarding political issues.

Previously, when the Blockout 2024 movement or the “deplatform celebrities” campaign broke out, Taylor Swift was one of the stars on the “black list” along with Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, Kylie Jenner, Zendaya, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, BlackPink…

Fans want Taylor Swift to express her views on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Photo: X.

Noisy homeless people being evicted

Noisy happens not only at concerts that have ended but also in the whole city that has not yet set foot. After Madrid, Edinburgh (Scotland’s capital) is the next place to welcome Taylor Swift with 3 concert nights, starting from June 7.

With an estimated 215,000 people coming to see Taylor perform at Murrayfield stadium over three days, demand for accommodation increased dramatically. Despite room prices being twice as expensive as usual, hotels in the city are fully booked.

Amid that situation, charity organizations expressed frustration when homeless people were forced to leave to make room for Swifties (Taylor Swift fans) flocking to the city. According to Daily Mail , homeless people are provided with temporary accommodation more than 160 km away from the capital.

Shelter Scotland, which campaigns for tenants’ rights in the UK, said some of the people it supported were taken to Aberdeen and Glasgow by taxi. Some people were even taken to the city of Newcastle on Tyne in Northeast England, 166 km south of Edinburgh.

Shelter Scotland director Alison Watson warned: “In Edinburgh, that emergency now puts homeless people in direct competition with tourists. A blatant injustice. Our frontline services have seen people needing a place to sleep being told their only option is to leave the city. A family experiencing the pain of homelessness in Edinburgh should not have to travel miles from work, school and the community to find emergency accommodation.”

A person lies in a sleeping bag on the doorstep of Edinburgh Council offices in December 2023. Photo: Getty Images.

In the face of a wave of protests, Jane Meagher, Edinburgh City Councilor, affirmed that she absolutely will not move tenants out of temporary accommodation to make room for Swift fans and is trying to find suitable alternative accommodation. suitable for those affected.

“One symptom of the housing emergency we face in Edinburgh is that we sometimes have to use tourist accommodation to house homeless households. We know those places aren’t available year-round, especially during the busy summer months, so we’re reluctant to use them as a last resort. We are aware of the situation and are working with affected households to find suitable alternative accommodation,” Ms Meagher said.

Taylor Swift’s representative has not commented on this issue.