The Boiler Room Lisboa event, held last weekend at 8 Marvila, was marked by a controversial episode. During Ukrainian DJ E.Lina’s performance, someone threw fake blood at the booth, staining the artist’s equipment.
On social media, E.Lina shared images of the incident and suggested that the gesture could have been a pro-Palestine protest. The event had already faced boycott attempts, due to links between the North American conglomerate KKR, the current owner of the Boiler Room, and Israeli companies in the arms sector, according to the website Resident Advisor.
“I’m an artist from Ukraine, where there is still blood to be shed,” wrote the DJ. “It was shocking. Art can be resistance, but it should never be done without empathy. You can’t fight one pain by disrespecting another.”
E.Lina also stressed that she does not represent any institution and appealed to the collective conscience: “Free Palestine, free Ukraine.”
