Anti-Israel protesters firebomb performance by Israeli philharmonic in Paris

After the matter was resolved, they were brought back on stage to the sound of applause and cheers from the audience.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Anti-Israel demonstrators lit flares and tried to set fire to a concert by the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra in Paris on Thursday night, forcing a temporary halt to the performance before musicians returned to finish their program to applause.

The incident took place at the Philharmonie de Paris, where dozens of protesters entered the hall waving Palestinian flags, shouting anti-Israel slogans, and lighting flares.

Security personnel moved in as the orchestra stopped playing and began to leave the stage.

According to a statement from Tel Aviv University’s Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, which is affiliated with the orchestra, “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. A big hug from us here.”

Footage shared online showed chaos in the hall as the crowd was cleared. Within minutes, the orchestra returned to complete the performance, greeted by loud support from the French audience.

The event came amid controversy sparked by a French entertainment union, CGT Spectacle, which had condemned the concert ahead of time, accusing Israel’s leaders of “crimes” in Gaza and calling the performance a “normalization” attempt.

The union stopped short of calling for a boycott but said the Philharmonie should remind the public of “serious accusations” against Israel.

France’s culture minister, Rachida Dati, publicly backed the orchestra’s visit, writing on X, “Welcome to Israel’s national orchestra. Nothing justifies a boycott call for this moment of culture, sharing and communication. Freedom of creation and programming is a value of our republic. No pretext for antisemitism.”

The Philharmonie later said it hoped the concert would take place “in the best possible conditions,” noting that visiting artists are not required to take political positions.