French police arrested four people after pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to firebomb a concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at the Paris Philharmonie on Thursday night, November 6th. The performance, led by Israeli conductor Lahav Shani and featuring pianist András Schiff, was interrupted when demonstrators lit smoke flares and shouted anti-Israel slogans inside the packed concert hall.
The orchestra was in the middle of performing Beethoven’s “Emperor” piano concerto when protesters broke in, some igniting flares that set chairs on fire, triggering panic. The music stopped, and the musicians briefly left the stage as security and audience members subdued several attackers.
Footage circulating on social media shows a protester holding a red flare while smoke fills the hall, before other attendees rush to disarm the individual. The Paris Philharmonic confirmed it had filed a formal complaint, stating it “deplores and strongly condemns the serious incidents that occurred.” The venue added that “on three occasions, individuals with tickets attempted to disrupt the concert and fellow spectators intervened,” and that the performance later “resumed peacefully.” Rioters were removed by police, allowing the concert to continue to a standing ovation.
A French prosecutor said three women and one man were taken into custody. Before the concert, several anti-Israel groups had called for the event to be cancelled. Failing to halt the performance, the pro-Palestine protesters apparently chose to disrupt a peaceful cultural event, putting people’s lives at risk in the process.
The Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University commented:
Pro-Palestinian protesters firebombed a concert and the musicians were removed from the stage. After the matter was resolved, they were brought back on stage to the sound of applause and cheers from the audience. Times are not easy.
They expressed their frustration at being artists wanting to perform but, because of their ethnicity and religious beliefs, being targets everywhere they go.
Israel’s ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, who attended the concert, told AFP that the swift reaction of the crowd was “proof that France has had enough.” French Culture Minister Rachida Dati also condemned the protest, declaring that “violence has no place in a concert hall” and that “freedom of programming and creation is a fundamental right of our republic.”
In September, a Belgian concert festival cancelled the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance, directed by Lahav Shani, because, festival organizers said, they were “unable to provide sufficient clarity about his attitude” towards the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza—a decision denounced by Belgian PM Bart De Wever as “reckless and irresponsible.”
