A screenshot image showing an incident during a concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, in which a person lights a smoking flare, in the Pierre-Boulez hall of the Philharmonie de Paris, on November 6, 2025. JEAN-MICHEL TRANSON / AFP
At around 8:30 pm on Thursday, November 6, in the Pierre-Boulez hall of the Philharmonie de Paris venue, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Lahav Shani, began Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, also known as the "Emperor." About 10 minutes later, a woman stood up, shouted "Israel murders," and threw yellow leaflets into the crowd, with the message: "Israel, you play the symphony of your genocidal army." The orchestra stopped playing, the woman was escorted out of the concert hall, and the music resumed.
"Five, maybe 10 minutes later, the orchestra stopped playing again. I saw a young man brandish a flare on the balcony. There were flames, it was striking," said Valérie (who requested anonymity), who attended the concert with her son. "It could have been very dangerous. There were screams, an usher was in tears. I was really frightened."
In videos posted online, audience members could be seen chasing the man through the aisles, attempting to intercept him and repeatedly punching him. "On three occasions, ticketholders tried, in different ways, to interrupt the musicians. The troublemakers were removed, the concert resumed, and it ended peacefully," the Philharmonie de Paris said in a statement, adding that it planned to file a complaint.
