Taylor Swift has broken her silence following an alleged terrorist plot in Vienna, Austria that saw her "Eras Tour" shows there canceled earlier this month.
Swift on Wednesday took to her Instagram to announce the end of the European leg of her tour, which wrapped at Wembley Stadium in London the day prior. The singer also addressed the Vienna incident, writing in the post's caption, "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," Swift wrote. "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. 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."
The pop star continued, "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."
NPR reported that the last-minute cancellations in Vienna affected some 150,000 Swifties, many of whom had spent thousands in order to travel to and attend the concerts.
Ahead of Swift's statement, a portion of her fan base had criticized her reticence in the wake of the cancellations, accusing her of "ignoring" fans.
