A cast member at the Royal Opera House displayed a large Palestinian flag during a curtain call Saturday and got into a tug-of-war with an official in the wings who tried to take it away.

The demonstration happened on the closing night of the opera “Il Trovatore” by Giuseppe Verdi in London, the BBC reported.

Royal Ballet and Opera said the protest was “completely inappropriate for a curtain call.”

“The display of the flag was spontaneous and unauthorised action by the artist,” a spokesperson told the BBC. “It was not approved by the Royal Ballet and Opera and is not in line with our commitment to political impartiality.”