Bart De Wever, who had sharply criticized the move, said he travelled to Essen to “strongly condemn” the decision, and express his appreciation for Lahav Shani in person.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever attended a concert of the Munich Philharmonic in the German city of Essen  to show support for an Israeli conductor that was disinvited from a festival in Belgium this week. Belgian festival to show support for its Israeli conductor.

The cancellation of the planned performance by Lahav Shani  at the Flanders Festival in the city of Ghent has triggered a storm of criticism and accusations of antisemitism. The Ghent festival organizers said they had decided to scrap the performance because Shani had not “unequivocally” distanced himself from Israel’s government in the war against Hamas in Gaza.

De Wever, who had sharply criticized the move, said he travelled to Essen to “strongly condemn” the decision, and express his appreciation for Shani in person.

In a post on X, he wrote: ”Just attended a wonderful performance in Essen by the Münchner Philharmoniker conducted by Lahav Shani.”

He added: ”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 Gaza. Unfortunately, that fear came true, with all the terrible consequences that entailed. That is why Belgium supports all targeted sanctions proposed by the European Union to end the war. The interests of innocent civilians, regardless of their origin or beliefs, are paramount in this regard.”

He continued, ”However, let me be very clear: there will never, ever be any room for racism and antisemitism in this country. That is where I draw the line. I therefore strongly condemn the recent cancellation of the Münchner Philharmoniker by the Flanders Festival Ghent, solely on the basis of the origin of conductor Lahav Shani. I insisted on conveying this message to him personally and expressing my appreciation for his contribution to the power of music.”

Also on X, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz thanked his Belgian counterpart ”for his strong show of solidarity” for Lahav Shani.

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.

Currently music director of the Israeli Philharmonic, Shani  is taking over as conductor of the Munich orchestra for the 2026/27 season.

The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, of which Lahav Shani is also the music director, has expressed its Asupport for its conductor, recalling that he has “previously spoken out in the press in favor of peace and humanity” and that he has “made it clear that he does not represent any political position, but that he wants to contribute to solidarity and hope through art.”

The German embassy in Belgium said it has ended its partnership with the Gent Festival following the cancellation of Shani’s concert. The embassy’s logo has been removed from the festival’s website and references to the concerts have been deleted from social media, an embassy spokesperson told the DPA news agency.