Law enforcement and city officials expressed a firm stance against violence in cultural venues.

The program featured Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, with pianist András Schiff; Shani is set to become chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic in 2026.

Disruptions included activists using smoke devices in the seating area.

The orchestra paused briefly after the initial disruption but soon resumed with Shani conducting.

Shani and pianist briefly exited the stage at the start before returning to continue the concert.

French police arrested four people after disruptions at a Paris concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, where protesters lit smoke flares inside the venue.

In the days before the performance, pro-Palestinian activists urged cancellation, and union groups pressed the institution to remind audiences of accusations against Israeli leaders over Gaza.

Conductor Lahav Shani, 36, has faced prior controversy, including a 2023/2024 dispute with the Flanders Festival and Munich Philharmonic over attitudes toward the Israeli government.

Additional details will be released as the investigation develops.

The minister said police acted swiftly on the scene and that investigators would provide updates.

Context includes Israel’s 2023 Gaza operation and casualty figures cited by AFP and UN-related sources, framing the broader debate over cultural expression linked to the conflict.

One detainee is reportedly listed in the police Threat Assessment database and is in their twenties, per Le Figaro.

Activist groups such as CGT Spectacle and Palestine Action France contributed to the charged atmosphere with boycott calls and actions.

Culture Minister Rachida Dati defended artistic freedom and condemned antisemitism, while CRIF's Yonathan Arfi urged sanctions against agitators and rejected boycotts and disruptions.

Dati affirmed freedom of programming as a core republican principle amid ongoing debates over cultural boycotts of Israel.

The article is behind a paywall and reserved for subscribers.

Israel’s Ambassador to Paris, Joshua Zarka, criticized the weaponization of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for political aims during the demonstrations.

Zarka described the events as leveraging a horrific conflict for political purposes.

Paris prosecutors confirmed four people were in custody on November 7, 2025, with investigations continuing.

Security was heightened outside, while inside activists unfurled yellow flyers, launched fumigènes, and shouted chants such as 'Israel assassin'.

The incident fits a pattern of protests and disruptions affecting IPO performances in recent months.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez condemned the acts, praising rapid police intervention that allowed the concert to proceed, and both he and Dati condemned the violence on social media.

Nuñez stated that nothing justifies the violence and that police quickly detained serious troublemakers inside the hall and contained protesters outside.

The Paris disruption follows similar tensions at other events, including a Belgian festival cancellation linked to concerns about Israel's government and antisemitism debates.

The piece draws on Haaretz reporting and related context, focusing on this Paris disruption.

The controversy ties into broader Gaza-conflict tensions, including Shani's past protests and related disputes with other orchestras.

Shani has faced protests before, including a Flemish festival dispute with the Munich Philharmonic, with German Chancellor Merz calling such protests antisemitic.

The Philharmonie de Paris said violence has no place in concerts, will pursue legal action, and prioritized safety for the public, staff, and artists.

The venue emphasized that it would listen to public concerns while condemning disruptions.