The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance at the Philharmonie de Paris was disrupted after protesters set off smoke bombs inside the venue, forcing a brief interruption of the concert.
France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that four individuals were taken into police custody following the incident last night.
“I strongly condemn the actions committed last night during a concert at the Philharmonie de Paris. Nothing can justify them,” Nuñez declared.
The incident came after days of pressure from pro-Palestinian activists who had called for the event’s cancellation.
The CGT-Spectacle union even demanded that the Philharmonie “remind its audience of the very serious accusations levelled against Israel’s leaders” amid the Gaza conflict.
Among those attending was Yonathan Arfi, head of France’s main Jewish representative body, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF).
He condemned the protesters, praising the musicians for carrying on despite the disturbance.
“Honour to the musicians who played despite the interruptions from hateful agitators!,” Arfi said.
“Calls for boycott and disruption are unacceptable. They will never prevent artists targeted by hatred from receiving the public’s ovation.”
The Paris incident follows a growing pattern across Europe, where Israeli artists and institutions have increasingly become targets of cultural boycotts since the conflict in Gaza began.
In September, Israeli conductor Lahav Shani was dropped from the programme of the Ghent Festival in Belgium thus cancelling the performance from the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra as it was led by Shani.
At the time, organisers claimed they could not ensure “clarity about his attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv”, despite acknowledging Shani’s repeated calls for peace and reconciliation.
During the summer, artists boycotted Belgian music festival Les francofolies de Spa over Franco-Israeli pop star Amir Haddad’s presence
