Overview
- Prime Minister Bart De Wever attended the Munich Philharmonic’s concert in Essen, spoke with Shani, and called the Ghent festival’s decision irresponsible, stating Belgium has no place for racism or antisemitism.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz praised De Wever’s gesture and condemned what he called blatant antisemitism tied to the exclusion.
- The Flanders Festival Ghent canceled the Sept. 18 performance, saying Shani had not made his stance on what it termed a “genocidal regime in Tel Aviv” sufficiently clear.
- Musikfest Berlin invited the orchestra and Shani to a short-notice concert on Monday at the Konzerthaus Berlin as a statement for artistic freedom and against discrimination and boycotts.
- A petition launched by harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani amassed more than 12,500 signatures, with reports rising to about 15,000, denouncing the exclusion as an attack on European and democratic values.