© Domingos Oliveira / RTL
A peaceful protest took place outside the Philharmonie in Luxembourg on Sunday evening as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra performed, with demonstrators criticising the orchestra's ties to the Israeli state, while the Philharmonie management and Culture Minister Eric Thill rejected claims of political complicity through the arts.
Ahead of the concert, a few dozen demonstrators gathered outside the Philharmonie to protest the orchestra's performance. The protest was peaceful and had been called by groups including the movement Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Against Israel (BDS), and CollectivesForPalestine.
Security was visibly tight, with RTL counting at least six police vehicles.
The demonstrators formed a line at the entrance to confront concertgoers with messages about the situation in Gaza and the policies of the Israeli government. Protesters shouted that by attending, the audience members were complicit in what they described as genocide in Gaza.
In September, a UN commission reported that Israel had committed acts constituting genocide in Gaza. However, the International Criminal Court in The Hague has not yet issued a ruling on the matter.
Leaflets were handed out to explain why, in the protesters' view, the orchestra, considered a cultural ambassador of the State of Israel, should not be allowed to perform in Luxembourg. As attendees arrived, protesters chanted the controversial slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free".
This phrase refers to the region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean coast, an area encompassing both Israeli and Palestinian territories, and is banned in Germany for its association with Hamas.
According to one demonstrator, a concertgoer handed them a slip of paper with the word "Nazi" written on it, accusing the protesters of antisemitism by implying their opposition targeted the musicians personally, particularly based on Jewish identity. The note argued that the orchestra should not be held accountable for the actions of the Israeli government.
On its website, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra appeals to donors by highlighting its long-standing practice of offering free concert tickets to active-duty Israeli soldiers. The initiative is presented as a way to provide soldiers with access to high-quality performances while also engaging younger audiences during their military service.
The American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic describe the ensemble as "Israel's greatest cultural ambassador", describing its mission as uniting diverse audiences and enriching communities through music education that "transcends borders".
Philharmonie and Ministry of Culture reject the criticism
The protesters accused the Philharmonie of helping to whitewash the actions of the Israeli government through the arts. However, both the management of the Philharmonie and Luxembourg's Minister for Culture, Eric Thill, rejected this criticism.
Thill, from the Democratic Party (DP), stressed that art and politics should not be conflated, though he acknowledged that the situation in the Middle East must of course be followed and critically examined.
Similar protests occurred in Paris, where performances by the Israeli orchestra at the Philharmonie de Paris were interrupted several times by pro-Palestinian activists. In one instance, four individuals were detained by French police for igniting smoke flares inside the concert hall.
In Luxembourg, Sunday's performance featured works by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.
