The European Commission has called on the bloc’s antisemitism coordinator to intervene with Belgian authorities over the Ghent Festival’s controversial decision to cancel a concert by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra due to its Israeli conductor,
“I have asked the EU coordinator on combatting antisemitism to engage with the authorities and the festival organisers to ensure that this cannot happen again”, Magnus Brunner, commissioner for internal affairs, said Friday evening in a post on X.
The organisers of the annual festival scrapped Lahav Shani’s performance set for 18 September, citing “insufficient clarity” on his stance toward Israel’s government amid the country’s continued assault on Gaza, and following demands from Flanders’ Culture Minister Caroline Gennez that the festival avoid working with partners who fail to “unequivocally distance themselves from the genocidal regime” in Israel.
“Given the inhumanity of the current situation, which is also leading to emotional reactions in our own society, we believe it is undesirable to allow this concert to go ahead,” the festival said in a statement. “We have chosen to maintain the serenity of our festival and safeguard the concert experience for our visitors and musicians. ”
Earlier on Friday, Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever condemned the decision as “antisemitic” and “reckless,” warning it would damage Belgium’s reputation, while the German embassy in Brussels has suspended cooperation with the Ghent festival.
According to De Standaard, the festival’s artistic director Jan Van den Bossche rejected accusations of antisemitism, saying the decision is linked to Shani’s role as music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
In response to the boycott, the German government announced a replacement concert for the Munich Philharmonic at the Berliner Festspiele next Monday.
The EU’s coordinator on antisemitism is Katharina von Schnubrein, a former Commission staffer.
(jp)
