Belgium's Prime Minister, Bart de Wever, criticized the Flanders Festival Ghent in a Saturday social media post for canceling the Münchner Philharmoniker's performance due to the Israeli nationality of conductor Lahav Shani.
In his post, De Wever began by mentioning that he had attended Shani's performance in Essen and then addressed the conflict in Gaza. He said he had expressed early on that Israel might become embroiled in a prolonged conflict after October 7, a fear he noted had unfortunately come to pass. De Wever added, "That is why Belgium supports all targeted sanctions proposed by the European Union to end the war."
In the same post, the prime minister emphasized Belgium's commitment to fighting antisemitism, stating firmly, "There will never be room for antisemitism or racism in Belgium. That is where I draw the line."
"I therefore strongly condemn the recent cancellation of the Münchner Philharmoniker by the Flanders Festival Ghent, solely on the basis of the origin of conductor Lahav Shani. I insisted on conveying this message to him personally and expressing my appreciation for his contribution to the power of music."
Cancellation by the Flanders Festival
Shani had been set to conduct the Munich Philharmonic, his new orchestra, in Ghent next week; however, the Flanders Festival canceled, saying that his current job as Chief Conductor of the Israel Philharmonic had given them pause.
"Lahav Shani has spoken out in favor of peace and reconciliation several times in the past," the festival said in a statement. "But in the light of his role as the chief conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, we are unable to provide sufficient clarity about his attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv."
Israel has vehemently rejected accusations that it is committing genocide in Gaza.
The Belgian festival's decision drew condemnation from German politicians.
"The rescinding of the invitation to the Munich Philharmonic and Lahav Shani is unacceptable," wrote German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. "Jews living here must never be exploited for the purpose of criticizing the Israeli government."
“A top German orchestra and its Jewish chief conductor are being disinvited - this is a disgrace for Europe,” Wolfram Weimer, the German culture minister, wrote on X. “This is pure anti-Semitism.”
"We believe boycotting artists is always the wrong approach," said Matthias Pees, head of the Berliner Festspiele, who invited Shani. "Shani is a wonderful person and musician. He studied here ... He has worked intensively for peace and reconciliation."
The mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, stated, “I cannot understand the decision of the organizer in any way.” The orchestra, he added, was an ambassador “for openness, diversity and dialogue.”