Protesters fire flares, cause chaos at Israel Philharmonic concert in Paris; 4 arrested

Anti-Israel protester sets a chair on fire, prompting fight in the stalls and the musicians’ evacuation from the hall, before performance resumes

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters caused chaos at a concert given by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Paris on Thursday night when they repeatedly interrupted the show with flares and clashed with audience members, leading to four arrests.

The concert, which faced heavy scrutiny in the weeks leading up to it, was paused briefly, and the musicians were evacuated from the stage after one protester lit a chair on fire, prompting a fight in the stalls.

Footage from the scene showed audience members rushing toward the protester after the seat was set ablaze, wrestling the flare from his hands to scattered applause. Several men could be seen herding him out of the stalls, throwing punches as they went.

Others worked to extinguish the flames before they could spread further.

The incident was condemned by the Paris Philharmonic, which hosted the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in the Cité de la Musique conservatory.

“On three occasions, ticket holders attempted to disrupt the concert in various ways, twice using flares,” it said in a press release on Friday morning. “Other spectators intervened and clashes ensued. The troublemakers were removed and the concert, which had been interrupted, resumed and concluded peacefully.”

“Nothing can justify such actions,” it continued. “Regardless of individual opinions, it is completely unacceptable to threaten the safety of the public, staff, and artists.”

The Paris Philharmonic said it had filed a complaint over the disruption, and a prosecutor confirmed on Friday morning that four people — three women and a man — had been arrested in relation to the incident.

Yonathan Arfi, the head of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF), condemned the incident, writing on X on Thursday night that the “calls for a boycott and the increasing disruptions are unacceptable.”

“They will never prevent artists targeted by hatred from receiving a standing ovation,” he said, congratulating the musicians for continuing to play despite the “hateful agitators.”

Speaking to the Associated Press on Friday, Arfi again condemned the “dangerous” incident, which he said was “a way to kidnap culture and arts to use it to send violent messages inside French society.”

He also thanked the Paris Philharmonic and the French culture ministry for “resisting the pressure to cancel the performance.”

The concert, directed by conductor and pianist Lahav Shani, was the subject of heavy scrutiny in the weeks leading up to it, as the union representing France’s entertainment sector had called to boycott it, calling it an attempt to bring about the “normalization” of Israel in international settings after two years of war in Gaza.

France’s Culture Minister Rachida Dati had rebuffed the calls, however, saying that the boycott call went against the country’s belief in “freedom of creation and programming.”