Four arrested over Israeli orchestra concert interruption in Paris

French authorities arrested four suspects on Friday connected to the coercive disruption of a concert performed by the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra in Paris the previous day.

Three women and a man were detained on charges of violence, destruction and organizing an unauthorized protest, Reuters cited the Paris Prosecutor’s Office as stating.

Activists were seen on videos posted on social media throwing flares and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans at the Philharmonie de Paris complex in the city’s northeastern 19th arrondissement, as audience members and security personnel tried to remove them.

At least one hooligan could be seen dodging individuals who tried to stop him or her. The incident apparently lasted a few minutes.

The concert went ahead despite three interruptions, the venue said.

“I strongly condemn the actions committed last night during a concert at the Philharmonie de Paris. Nothing can justify them,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on X.

“I thank the personnel from the Paris police who enabled the rapid arrest of several perpetrators of serious disturbances inside the venue and contained the demonstrators outside. Four people have been placed in custody,” he added.

According to Le Monde, the disruptions began at around 8:40 p.m., when the Israeli orchestra, conducted by Lahav Shani, performed Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, also known as the “Emperor Concerto” in English-speaking countries.

A woman stood up, shouted, “Israel murders,” and hurled yellow leaflets into the crowd, which read, “Israel, you play the symphony of your genocidal army,” Le Monde reported.

The concert resumed after the woman was removed.

Another woman who attended the concert with her son told the newspaper that “five, maybe 10 minutes later, the orchestra stopped playing again. I saw a young man brandish a flare on the balcony. There were flames; it was striking. It could have been very dangerous. There were screams, an usher was in tears. I was really frightened.”

The Philharmonie de Paris said it had filed a police complaint, adding that it “deplores and strongly condemns the serious incidents that occurred,” France 24 reported.

The French branch of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, together with other anti-Israel organizations, had called on the hosting venue to cancel the concert.

The disruption joined a wave of anti-Israel actions throughout Europe over the past few months, pushing for a cultural boycott of the Jewish state.

In September, organizers of a classical music festival in Belgium canceled a concert by the Munich Philharmonic that was to be conducted by Shani, 36, the music director of Israel’s national orchestra.

In a statement announcing the concert cancellation, organizers said that the positions of Shani, the Munich Philharmonic’s Israeli conductor, “vis-à-vis the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv are unclear.”