German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt intends to raise the cancellation of the Munich Philharmonic and its Israeli conductor Lahav Shani from a music festival in Ghent with his Belgian counterpart, Bernard Qintin.
Speaking to television station “Welt” on Friday, Dobrindt stated he found the situation “absolutely unacceptable” and plans to address the matter during an upcoming discussion with the Belgian minister.
While acknowledging that, as Interior Ministers, they are not directly responsible for such cultural decisions, Dobrindt emphasized the need for a conversation between nations regarding the incident, describing it as “very, very, very disturbing.
Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer had previously voiced his concern on Thursday, writing a letter of protest to his Belgian counterpart. He confirmed that the Foreign Office had also been activated to address the situation, expressing a refusal to accept the cancellation. Weimer drew parallels to “the darkest times of the 20th century” noting the historical precedent of artists facing bans based on their Jewish heritage or Israeli origin.
The festival management had accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The reasoning behind Shani’s cancellation cited his position as chief conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and perceived ambiguity regarding his stance on the ongoing conflict.
