On the evening of November 6, 2025, the Paris Philharmonic concert hall became an unexpected flashpoint in the ongoing global debate over Israel’s actions in Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict. What was meant to be an evening of music, featuring the renowned Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor Lahav Shani and pianist Sir Andras Schiff, was repeatedly disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters. The incident, which resulted in four arrests, has since ignited passionate responses from French officials, cultural institutions, and activists on both sides of the issue.
According to AP and BBC, the disruptions began just minutes into the performance. Protesters, who had purchased tickets, set off powerful sound alarms and brandished red flares, filling the air with smoke and panic. Video footage from inside the Pierre Boulez auditorium showed one protester weaving through the crowd with a flare, while others shouted slogans such as “Israel assassin.” The chaos forced the musicians off the stage temporarily, as audience members recoiled or attempted to subdue the intruders. One flare even landed perilously close to the orchestra, heightening the tension and confusion in the hall.
Despite the repeated interruptions—occurring every 10 to 20 minutes, according to Osnat Menache, an official from the Israeli Embassy in Paris—the musicians eventually returned to finish the concert. The Philharmonie de Paris later confirmed that the troublemakers were swiftly removed, and the event concluded peacefully. The venue has announced it will pursue legal action in response to the incidents, emphasizing in a statement that “regardless of people’s opinions, it is utterly unacceptable to threaten the safety of the public, staff and artists... bringing [violence] into a concert hall is extremely serious.”
Outside the concert hall, pro-Palestinian activists staged their own demonstration. Their calls for a boycott of the Israel Philharmonic were amplified by a coalition of groups, including the French branch of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. In an open letter issued before the concert, these groups argued that allowing the orchestra to perform would “contribute to Israel’s impunity before international law” and “instrumentalize classical music... in the whitewashing of policies that for 75 years have denied the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people.” The CGT-Spectacle union, representing performing arts workers, stopped short of demanding cancellation but urged the Philharmonie de Paris to acknowledge the “extremely serious accusations leveled against [Israel’s] leaders.”
The French government responded swiftly and decisively. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), denounced the disruptions, declaring, “nothing can justify them.” He praised the police for their rapid response, which led to the detention of three women and one man, as confirmed by a Paris prosecutor. Culture Minister Rachida Dati was equally forceful, emphasizing that “violence has no place in a concert hall” and that “freedom of programming and creation is a fundamental right of our republic.” She went further, stating that there was “no excuse for antisemitism”—a sentiment echoed by the French government, which labeled the disruption as both antisemitic and an attack on freedom of cultural expression.
The event was not without controversy from the political left. Manon Aubry, a European Parliament member for France Unbowed, declined to condemn the disruption on French television, arguing that the orchestra’s artists “represent the Israeli state [which] commits war crimes.” This perspective reflects a growing movement in Europe calling for cultural boycotts of Israel, particularly since the launch of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza in October 2023. According to France 24 and Middle East Eye, calls for such boycotts have intensified as the conflict’s human toll has mounted—over 1,221 Israelis killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, and more than 68,500 Palestinians killed in Gaza since, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, figures the United Nations considers reliable.
The disruptions in Paris are not isolated incidents. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra has faced protests and calls for boycotts at several performances in recent months. In September, a Belgian festival canceled a concert with Lahav Shani conducting the Munich Philharmonic, citing his lack of public distance from the Israeli government. That decision sparked its own backlash, with both Belgian and German officials condemning the move and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warning against the normalization of antisemitic rhetoric. Days later, Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever attended a Munich Philharmonic concert conducted by Shani in Essen, Germany, as a show of solidarity.
For many, the Paris protest is emblematic of a broader struggle over the role of arts and culture during times of war and political crisis. Proponents of the boycott argue that Israel uses cultural events to “whitewash” its image internationally, even as it continues its military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. They point to the deaths and detentions of Palestinians from all walks of life, including artists, athletes, and journalists, as evidence of a campaign to suppress Palestinian identity and resistance. As Middle East Eye notes, these activists believe that “to maintain this concert would be to contribute to Israel’s impunity before international law.”
On the other side, defenders of the concert—including audience members, government officials, and the Philharmonie de Paris—see the disruptions as an unacceptable attack on artistic freedom and public safety. Jonathan Arfi, president of France’s national Jewish organization CRIF, called the protest “a way to kidnap culture and arts in order to use it to send violent messages inside French society.” Osnat Menache, the Israeli Embassy official, expressed her distress: “I felt very bad for the orchestra. Every antisemitic act should be brought to justice.”
The Paris incident also highlights the difficult position of artists and cultural institutions caught in the crossfire of global politics. While some, like conductor Lahav Shani, have faced personal and professional repercussions for their perceived association with the Israeli state, others have become focal points for broader debates about complicity, resistance, and the limits of cultural engagement. The Philharmonie de Paris’s decision to proceed with the concert, despite intense pressure and the threat of disruption, underscores the institution’s commitment to “freedom of creativity”—a value now being tested across Europe and beyond.
As the dust settles from Thursday night’s tumultuous performance, questions linger about the future of cultural exchange in an era of deepening political polarization. For now, the Paris Philharmonic stands as both a stage for world-class music and a battleground for competing visions of justice, expression, and solidarity.
