A group promoting religious tolerance said on Friday they decided to cancel the concert at the last minute to avoid putting any of the artists or guests in "danger." Muslim, Jewish and Christian artists would have taken part. The Anatolia news agency said dozens of protesters turned up at the open-air concert's venue and shouted anti-Israel slogans.

Most were members of the IHH Islamic aid group which sponsored last year's Gaza-bound aid flotilla. In May, an Israeli theater performance in Antalya, southern Turkey, was also canceled over security concerns.