”It is not normal that a meeting with an author who is committed to democracy should have to take place under police protection,”  the bookstore said in a statement.

A bookstore in Brussels announced Monday the cancellation at the last minute of a visit by French philosopher and essayist Raphael Enthoven because of some of his statements on Gaza.

Enthoven was due to present and sign his new book at the Filigranes bookstore.

“We know that Raphaël Enthoven’s visit to Filigranes is controversial. We did not invite him because of his political views, but to talk about his latest book, a moving account of the final days of his mother, the novelist Catherine David, who died of Parkinson’s disease,” the bookstore explained in a statement.

“Filigranes is neither a movement nor a political party,” the Filigranes bookstore continues. “Everyone who works here has the right to their own opinions. But there is one cause that unites us all: we want to make this bookstore a sanctuary for freedom of expression. The only people who will not be welcome here are those who oppose this freedom of expression. It is not normal that a meeting with an author who is committed to democracy should have to take place under police protection. Unfortunately, we are forced to cancel tonight’s meeting with Raphaël Enthoven. We apologize for this late cancellation,” the bookstore concluded.

In another statement released on Monday, the Christian trade union CNE condemned the French essayist’s visit. Raphaël Enthoven “has distinguished himself in recent months by denying the genocidal nature of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, downplaying the massive bombing of civilians, and actively participating in the dissemination of false information,” the union lamented.

Enthoven claimed that in December 2024 that “the fable of a ‘genocide in Gaza’ is the crudest lie of the 21st century.” In August 2025, he wrote, also on X, that “there are no journalists in Gaza. Only killers, fighters, or hostage-takers with press cards.”

Earlier this month, Enthoven finally expressed regret for this statement. He also appeared before the Paris Criminal Court on Tuesday for public insults against La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) extreme left political party. The writer has  described the party, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, as a “detestable, violent, conspiracy-minded, passionately anti-Semitic movement.”