Israeli orchestra concert disrupted at Paris Philharmonie, four detained PHOTO

The Philharmonie de Paris has condemned “serious incidents” that interrupted a concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra on the evening of November 6, after several audience members attempted to halt the performance. 

French officials said that four people have been taken into police custody, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

In a statement on November 7, the concert hall said it had filed a legal complaint following the disruption during the performance conducted by Lahav Shani and featuring pianist Sir András Schiff.

“The Cité de la musique – Philharmonie de Paris deplores and firmly condemns the serious incidents that occurred in the Grande salle Pierre Boulez during the concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra,” the venue said.

According to the Philharmonie, three ticket-holders tried on several occasions to stop the performance, twice by setting off smoke flares. Other audience members intervened, and scuffles broke out before security evacuated the protesters. The concert was paused but later resumed and ended calmly.

Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (Crif), described the protesters as “hate-fuelled agitators” and called for “exemplary sanctions”. Writing on X, he said: “Calls for boycotts and repeated disruptions are unacceptable. Hatred will never stop artists from receiving the applause they deserve.”

The concert had already been the focus of controversy, with pro-Palestinian campaigners urging its cancellation amid the ongoing war in Gaza. The CGT-Spectacle trade union also called on the Philharmonie to remind audiences of the “grave accusations” against Israel’s leaders.

France’s Culture Minister, Rachida Dati, had earlier defended the performance, writing on X: “Welcome to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Freedom of creation and programming is a value of our Republic. There can be no pretext for antisemitism.”

In its statement, the Philharmonie said “nothing can justify” the November 6 events, adding that while the venue had responded to questions raised in recent days about the concert, “violence is not debate, and bringing it into a concert hall is very serious.”

Paris prosecutors confirmed that four people had been detained over the incident. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez condemned the actions, saying on X that police had “swiftly detained several perpetrators of serious disturbances inside the hall” and had contained protesters outside.

By Aghakazim Guliyev