Taylor Swift Addresses Canceled Vienna Shows Due to Thwarted Terror Attack
Taylor Swift has responded to the thwarted terrorist attack that led to the cancellation of her Eras Tour shows in Vienna.
In her first public comments since the incident, which occurred earlier this month, the mega-pop star addressed the threat of violence on Wednesday, August 21. Swift also explained her decision to remain silent about the unnerving situation until now.
“Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating. The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows,” she wrote. “But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”
Three teenage suspects were arrested for allegedly planning an ISIS-style terror attack at one of Swift’s Austrian concerts, which included driving a bomb-filled car into the crowd with the intent to kill “as many people as possible.”
Swift explained that she chose to stay quiet about the foiled attack because she didn’t want to cause further harm. “Let me be very clear:
I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows,” she said. “In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to.”
Swift also expressed being “heartened” by how her fans rallied together and noted that her team worked closely with stadium staff and British authorities to ensure the safety of her fans as the tour continued. “I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London,” she added.
