French-Jewish DJ Barbara Butch stated that she will not give in to intimidation and will continue her concert career after pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel activists disrupted her performance at the Cabaret Frappé festival in Grenoble. The artist had to be evacuated from the stage 20 minutes after the start of her set.
According to Butch, the protesters shouted insults and threw objects, including glass bottles, which shattered near her DJ booth. In a video message on social media, she called the incident the next stage of a campaign aimed at excluding her from cultural life and announced that she is preparing legal complaints.
“I will return to the stage,” emphasized Barbara Butch.
Reaction of authorities and political context
Grenoble city authorities have filed a complaint against unknown persons. The city's mayor, Laurence Ruffier, reported evidence of violence and sabotage of electrical equipment, rejecting claims that the action was peaceful.
Calls for a boycott and cancellation of the concert came from activists who criticized Butch for a trip to Tel Aviv and her support for a bill by French-Israeli MP Caroline Yadan. The document was aimed at combating new forms of antisemitism but was later withdrawn. One of the organizers of the protest calls was Allan Brunon, chairman of the Grenoble branch of the La France Insoumise (LFI) party.
Support for the artist
In a joint article in Le Monde, Barbara Butch and her lawyer Audrey Msellati noted that the protest crossed the line from political disagreement to intimidation and violence. Support for the artist was expressed by the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) Yonathan Arfi, the European Jewish Congress, the Union of Jewish Students of France, as well as colleagues and fans.
Barbara Butch gained widespread recognition after participating in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, after which she also faced a campaign of harassment and threats online.
Source: timesofisrael.com
