Israeli singer urging extermination of all Gazans performs in Paris despite backlash

ISTANBUL

Israeli singer Eyal Golan performed for more than 4,000 spectators at the Dome de Paris, despite strong criticism and demands that his concerts be canceled for comments widely condemned as inciting violence against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Golan, who performed Monday and is scheduled to take to the stage again Tuesday, sparked outrage for remarks shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, in which he called for Gaza to be "wiped out" and said that "no soul should remain" in the Palestinian enclave.

On the day of the attacks, he posted on social media that "Gaza must burn."

His comments drew sharp condemnation from political groups and civil society organizations, including La France insoumise (LFI), the Union of French Jews for Peace (UJFP) and the Jewish decolonial collective, Tsedek -- all demanded the cancellation of the Paris concerts.

According to videos online by attendees and verified by the L’Humanite newspaper, visuals praising the Israeli army were projected during the concert, including images of soldiers, tanks and a message in Hebrew that read: "Israel is alive."

The performance took place as Israeli airstrikes continued to pound Gaza, killing dozens of civilians in an offensive that has claimed more than 53,000 lives, according to local authorities.

A demonstration was held Monday outside the concert venue in Paris' 15th arrondissement.

LFI lawmakers Jerome Legavre and Thomas Portes joined the protest, criticizing the concerts as a "megaphone for those supporting genocide."

French police deployed heightened security measures around the venue for concert dates.