After canceling three concerts in Vienna targeted by a thwarted ISIS-connected terrorist plot, Taylor Swift is still due to perform at Wembley Stadium in London for five more dates in August, Variety has confirmed.
As of Thursday morning U.K. local time, the shows had not been canceled.
Set for Aug. 15-20, the London shows are the last dates on the international leg of her Eras tour before returning to North America. Wembley Stadium is in the process of beefing up security measures for Swift’s concerts, according to a hospitality staffer at the concert venue. Details on the ramped up security protocol will be communicated later.
The five shows, whose rates go up to $1200, will each feature a high-profile special guest, including indie pop star Sofia Isella, Holly Humberstone, Suki Waterhouse and Maisie Peters. Like her June playdates in London, all the shows are sold out.
The law and order situation in the U.K. appeared to have calmed on Wednesday night after thousands of anti-racism protesters took to the streets, countering a week of anti-immigrant rioting and disorder. Riots ravaged the country over the past week, following the killing of three children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 30. Swift expressed her shock at the murders.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, has been charged with the murders of the children and 10 counts of attempted murder. Initially, his identity was withheld due to U.K. law granting anonymity to minors in court proceedings. This led to a spread of misinformation online, with false claims about the suspect’s background going viral and inflaming far-right sentiment. Gangs attacked immigrants and minorities and looted shops. More than 400 arrests have been made.
U.K. policing minister Diana Johnson has said Scotland Yard is evaluating intelligence ahead of Swift’s London concerts. “Clearly, the police will be looking at all the intelligence and making decisions, they risk assess every event that happens in this country, and that’s something for the police,” Johnson told LBC Radio. The minister also said that there is a provision to invoke Martyn’s law, which “is about making sure that those venues which could be subject to terrorist attack have in place everything that they need in terms of keeping people safe, and that will be brought forward by the government shortly.”
There’s also been swirling rumors about Swift’s participation in the closing ceremony of the Olympics on Aug. 11 in Paris. While the event’s organizers have not confirmed Swift’s involvement, a source close to Paris 2024’s organizing committee said the security protocol for these Olympics, including the closing ceremony at the Stade de France, is already at its highest level. France has increased its security alert to the highest level since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel and the deadly attack at a Russian concert hall in March which was claimed by ISIS.
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