PRO-PALESTINE PROTEST TURNS VIOLENT DURING PARIS CONCERT BY ISRAELI ORCHESTRA
The Philharmonie de Paris concert hall descended into chaos after pro-Palestine activists let off smoke bombs during a concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
Four people were arrested on Thursday night after the concert was interrupted three times.
Red flares enveloped the hall in clouds of smoke during a performance of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. Appalled concertgoers tackled the protesters while punches rained down and objects were thrown.
Security eventually expelled the troublemakers, and the orchestra, led by Israeli conductor Lahav Shani, was able to resume and received a standing ovation at the end.
In a statement, the Philharmonie confirmed it would be filing a complaint, adding that it “strongly deplores and condemns the serious incidents that occurred on Thursday”.
It said: “Nothing can justify such actions. Whatever one’s opinions may be, it is completely unacceptable to threaten the safety of the public, staff and artists.
“Violence is not a matter for debate. And bringing it into a concert hall is very serious. On three occasions, ticket-holding spectators attempted in various ways to interrupt the concert, twice using smoke bombs. Members of the audience intervened and clashes ensued.”
Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), praised “the musicians who played on despite the interruptions by hateful agitators.” He called for “exemplary sanctions.”
One Franco-Israeli spectator took to social media to express his dismay: “Tonight’s symphony concert was targeted several times. The audience avoided the worst by controlling these raving madmen. Where was security?”
With the concert held days before the tenth anniversary of the Paris terror attacks on Nov 13, many expressed their outrage at the security failures at the venue.
“There were serious security breaches last night inside the Philharmonie,” wrote Jacques-Yves Bohbot, a Right-wing Paris councillor. “Ten years after the Bataclan, it is unacceptable for a concert hall to be such a sieve! These failings must be fully investigated.”
A row over the Israeli concert had been brewing for weeks.
Last week, CGT Spectacle – a union representing workers in France’s entertainment sector – called on the orchestra to condemn the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza at the start of the concert.
“The Paris Philharmonic Hall cannot host the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra without reminding the public of the extremely serious accusations weighing on the leaders of that country (Israel) or the nature of the crime committed in Gaza,” the union said.
It said it viewed the concert as an attempt to bring about the “normalisation” of Israel in international settings.
Others called for a complete boycott of the Philharmonie, pointing out that a Russian conductor had been banned over the Ukraine conflict.
“Let us recall that Russian conductor Valery Gergiev was removed from the programme by the same venue (Philharmonie de Paris) at the start of the war in Ukraine for purely geopolitical reasons. We did not hear from you at that time. Double standards,” wrote one. Critics also pointed out that the orchestra played the Israeli national anthem at the end of the show, which further politicised the concert.
However, Rachida Dati, the culture minister, hit back: “Nothing justifies a call to boycott this moment of culture, sharing and communion. Freedom of creation and programming is a value of our Republic. There is no excuse for anti-Semitism!”
On Monday, the Philharmonie defended its programming. “We never require artists and ensembles invited to perform to take a position on ongoing conflicts or sensitive political issues,” it said, adding that artists “cannot be held responsible for the actions of their government by simple association.”
This is not the first incident faced by Israeli conductor Lahav Shani. In September, he was removed from the programme of the Ghent Festival in Belgium, where he was to conduct the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra at the opening of the event.
In a statement, the maestro accused the Belgian festival’s management of bowing to “political pressure”. Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, then issued a statement condemning “the poison of anti-Semitism”.
Tensions surrounding concerts by Israeli artists have been mounting in France since the start of the conflict in Gaza. On the same Thursday evening, Franco-Israeli singer Amir was targeted by a call for a boycott by France Unbowed, the Leftist party, in Brest, which denounced “his proximity to the Israeli colonial far right”.
Elsewhere, an Italian opera house has cancelled performances by a Russian singer seen as close to president Vladimir Putin. Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov will not perform at the Verona Philharmonic Theatre this January after his public support for Putin came under scrutiny. The Arena di Verona Foundation, which runs the theatre, gave no official reason for why Abdrazakov would not appear onstage.
The move was backed Alessando Giuli, the culture minister, who said that Russian art and culture were welcome “when they serve as a vehicle for dialogue and peace between peoples ... but not ... when they become a propaganda tool serving a despotic power”.
Before Russia’s war in Ukraine, Abdrazakov, 49, performed at top concert houses around the world including in London’s Covent Garden and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
2025-11-07T12:15:42Z
