Headlines you don’t see every day: Disgruntled Bulgarian truckers keep British band from performing in Turkey

Reuters brings us today’s reminder that the world is a confusing, intricately interconnected place: Disgruntled Bulgarian truck drivers blocked traffic at two major border checkpoints with neighboring Turkey on Friday to protest against what they said were Turkish restrictions to their operations. Among those caught up in the blockade, now in its second day, was ...

VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images
VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images
VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images

Reuters brings us today's reminder that the world is a confusing, intricately interconnected place:

Reuters brings us today’s reminder that the world is a confusing, intricately interconnected place:

Disgruntled Bulgarian truck drivers blocked traffic at two major border checkpoints with neighboring Turkey on Friday to protest against what they said were Turkish restrictions to their operations.

Among those caught up in the blockade, now in its second day, was British band Depeche Mode, which was forced to cancel its concert in Istanbul on Friday because trucks carrying equipment from Bulgaria could not get through.

Depeche Mode, for its part, has apologized to Turkish fans on its website:

We regret to inform ticket holders for tonight’s show in Istanbul at KüçükÇiftlik Park that, due to circumstances beyond the control of Depeche Mode and Purple Concerts, tonight’s show will not be taking place. The Bulgarian trucking blockade at the Bulgaria-Turkey border has prevented Depeche Mode’s production trucks from crossing the border into Turkey, forcing this situation.

As if ticket holders couldn’t have seen the Bulgarian trucking blockade coming.

Uri Friedman is deputy managing editor at Foreign Policy. Before joining FP, he reported for the Christian Science Monitor, worked on corporate strategy for Atlantic Media, helped launch the Atlantic Wire, and covered international affairs for the site. A proud native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he studied European history at the University of Pennsylvania and has lived in Barcelona, Spain and Geneva, Switzerland. Twitter: @UriLF

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