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Venue bars Edinburgh band over Gaelic song

Edinburgh-based punk band Oi Polloi barred from playing at the Strausberg Horte

A German social centre has come under a barrage of criticism for barring a band from playing because of its advocation of oppressed languages.

Edinburgh-based punk band Oi Polloi had been due to play at the Strausberg Horte in eastern Germany on March 1 but were told last week that their gig was cancelled because some of their songs are in Gaelic.

During a week of silence from the venue as to an explanation of why they had been barred, the band said: "It's very saddening to find ourselves barred from playing simply because we sing in an endangered minority language."

The self-organising social centre's "ruling gathering" finally responded on Tuesday accusing the band of "backward" political demands that meant they shouldn't be allowed on stage.

And the Horte's "clarification" caused a further storm, saying that the only people who support indigenous language rights in Germany were "the guys and gals of the NPD" - a neonazi party linked with violent racist attacks.

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