Taylor Swift, the award-winning singer, has spoken for the first time about the foiled terror attack that disrupted her concerts in Vienna, Austria.
Swift was scheduled to host a three-day performance at Ernst Happel Stadium as part of her ‘Eras Tour. But the shows were cancelled on August 7 over an alleged terror attack threat.
In a statement via Instagram on Thursday, Swift said she felt “a tremendous amount of guilt” because thousands of concertgoers had planned on coming to the shows.
She said the foiled terror attack that led to the show’s cancellation filled her with “a new sense of fear”.
The 34-year-old songstress revealed that she held back an immediate reaction “to priotise finishing our European tour safely”.
The Grammy-winning singer also expressed gratitude to the authorities who uncovered the terror plot in Vienna.
“Having our Vienna shows cancelled 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. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. 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,” the statement reads in part.
“My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us. 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.
“In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.”
