About 50 demonstrators started singing a different tune partway through the St. Louis Symphony’s performance of Johannes Brahms’s “A German Requiem” over the weekend, calling for justice for Michael Brown, whose death sparked protests in Ferguson, Mo. earlier this year.
After the intermission on Saturday, protesters stood up across Powell Hall from different parts of the audience and began singing the following lyrics:
Which side are you on, friend? Which side are you on?
Justice for Mike Brown is justice for us all.
The group unfurled a banner reading “Mike Brown 1996–2014″ with a picture of the man, as well as another one that said “Racism lives here.” Participants on the balcony showered the hall with paper hearts memorializing Brown and pamphlets detailing how people could join their effort.
The demonstrators voluntarily left the hall while chanting “Black lives matter” to mixed reaction from the audience and performers — some appeared agitated by the stunt, while others applauded.
This is the second such effort by protesters to disrupt a public event to get their message out: Last month, the group unfurled banners at a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game, but were booed and handcuffed.
Comments