Protests over Austrian band's planned gig in Tel Aviv

A Tel Aviv concert organizer has postponed the upcoming appearance of an Austrian band following widespread criticism that it is a neo-Nazi, pro-fascist group. The Diaspora affairs minister Natan Sharansky and other leading politicians have asked that the band "Der Blutharsch" be barred from entering the country ahead of a Tel Aviv show scheduled for Saturday. Despite the organizer's decision to delay the performance by several months, the Tel Aviv Municipality plans to take the matter to court and use its authority to close down the club hosting the show. An Interior Ministry spokeswoman, meanwhile, said that though her office has not received visa applications from the performers, it is monitoring the situation and will make a decision about whether to allow their entry once their applications are received.