Belgium PM attends concert of Israeli conductor disinvited by festival
De Wever makes trip to support Lahav Shani after Ghent festival organizers scrapped performance as he hadn’t ‘unequivocally’ distanced himself from Israel’s government
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Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever said Saturday he attended a concert by a German orchestra that was disinvited from a Belgian festival to show support for its Israeli conductor.
The cancellation of a planned performance at the Flanders Festival Ghent by the Munich Philharmonic over concerns about its Israeli future chief conductor, Lahav Shani, has triggered a storm of criticism and accusations of antisemitism.
De Wever, who had already criticized the move, said he travelled to the German city of Essen on Saturday to “strongly condemn” the decision, and express his appreciation for Shani in person.
“There will never, ever be any room for racism and antisemitism in this country,” he wrote on X, alongside a photo of himself shaking hands with Shani in a concert hall.
“I insisted on conveying this message to him personally and expressing my appreciation for his contribution to the power of music.”
The Ghent festival organizers said this week they had decided to scrap the performance because Shani had not “unequivocally” distanced himself from Israel’s government, whose ongoing war in Gaza against the Palestinian terror group Hamas has triggered international uproar.
The move has drawn criticism, including from Germany and Israel.
Just attended a wonderful performance in Essen by the Münchner Philharmoniker conducted by Lahav Shani.
Immediately after the horrific terrorist attack by Hamas, I expressed my fear that the Israeli government would allow itself to be drawn into an endless violent conflict in… pic.twitter.com/UqbAvJtzaV
— Bart De Wever (@Bart_DeWever) September 13, 2025
On Friday, the Berlin Philharmonic said it had extended a short-notice invite to the Israeli conductor to perform at a festival in the German capital next week, in what the German government described as “a wonderful sign” of support.
Shani, 36, who officially takes over as conductor of the Munich orchestra for the 2026/27 season, is currently music director of the Israel Philharmonic.
The ongoing war in the Gaza Strip was started by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The catastrophic humanitarian conditions in Gaza as a result of the war and Israel’s ongoing blockade of Gaza have fueled widespread public anger in Europe, although the region’s governments have been divided on how to respond.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.