US rock star Bruce Springsteen has been criticized in Italy for holding a concert in Ferrara on Thursday (18), even after the northern region of Emilia-Romagna was hit by floods that left at least nine people dead.
Fans of the musician took to social media to urge him and his team to reconsider their decision, as a sign of respect for the dead and the thousands evacuated from their homes after torrential rains caused landslides and caused rivers to overflow.
“@springsteen please consider rescheduling your show tonight. Surrounding areas faced devastating flooding. You should because: all emergency resources must be available in the affected area; we need to avoid massive traffic; out of respect for the victims,” tweeted Massimiliano Zampini.
Others were more outraged.
Cristiana Boi described the decision to go ahead with the show as “outrageous”, while Laura Casadei posted: “It’s a scandal that they are doing Springsteen’s show in Ferrara tonight. He will sing without an audience because all the main streets are blocked in several places”.
Reuters contacted representatives for Springsteen, but they did not respond by press time.
One of the main cities of Emilia-Romagna, Ferrara was not directly affected by the floods. And Mayor Alan Fabbri defended the decision not to cancel the concert, which was expected to attract up to 50,000 people.
“I’m sorry if anyone may have thought Ferrara was insensitive to the Romagna tragedy just because they didn’t cancel The Boss show,” Fabbri wrote on Facebook.
A show, “given its enormous complexity, cannot be postponed or cancelled” in the short term after having involved thousands of workers and tourists who arrived in the city, he said.
Source: CNN Brasil
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