North by Northeast has confirmed that the Action Bronson concert at Yonge-Dundas Square next month has been cancelled.
The decision comes after some 37,000 people signed an online petition to have the artist removed from the NXNE lineup over lyrics that petition organizers said glorify "violence against women."
"A significant number of Torontonians have indicated their desire to have Action Bronson not perform at the Square. As annual guests in this space we feel we must accede to the strong wishes of the community and honour their input," NXNE said in written statement released Friday.
While NXNE confirmed that the New York rapper's June 21 performance will not go ahead, the directors of the festival said they are "committed to presenting (Bronson) on a Toronto stage."
"We are not moving the Action show because we believe in censoring him or any other artists. In fact, we find the limiting of artistic expression distasteful. When artistic expression is limited, freedom and the evolution of ideas is often the casualty," the statement continued.
"Hopefully, Action Bronson will accept our invitation to play at another, ticketed venue in the city so the public can decide for themselves if his work has merit.”
Mayor John Tory spoke out against the concert Thursday, saying he did not believe the performance would comply with the venue's policies.
“As a person, I find the trend toward this kind of disrespectful, you might even argue it's abusive, sort of language to be astonishing and very disturbing,” Tory said during a news conference.
NXNE directors say they hope that the recent events do not lead to some type of "artistic chill" in Toronto's public spaces.
"Yonge-Dundas Square must remain a dynamic place where many viewpoints are expressed not just culturally but also at political events and rallies staged there," the statement said.
