MTV cancels Europe Music Awards show in Paris, citing Israel-Hamas war

MTV has canceled its European awards ceremony, the Europe Music Awards (EMAs), scheduled for November 5 in Paris, “out of an abundance of caution” in light of the “the volatility of world events.” “We have decided not to move forward with the 2023 MTV EMAs out of an abundance of caution for the thousands of employees, crew members, artists, fans, and partners who travel from all corners of the world to bring the show to life,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

The awards ceremony was to feature artists such as Anne-Marie, Coi Leray, David Guetta, Jung Kook, Manuel Turizo, Ozuna, Rema, Reneé Rapp, Sabrina Carpenter and Thirty Seconds to Mars. This year, women dominated the main categories, with Taylor Swift, SZA and Olivia Rodrigo leading the way with seven nominations for Taylor Swift and six for the other two. They were followed by Doja Cat, Måneskin, Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj with four nominations. Other nominees were Ice Spice, Peso Pluma, Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar, Karol G and Blackpink.

“The MTV EMAs are an annual celebration of global music. As we watch the devastating events in Israel and Gaza continue to unfold, this does not feel like a moment for a global celebration. With thousands of lives already lost, it is a moment of mourning. We look forward to hosting the MTV EMAs again in November of 2024,” the network added in the statement.

Although the statement does not explicitly reference it, since the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, France has been in a state of heightened alert, especially after the murder last Friday in Arras of high school teacher Dominique Bernard, a victim of a stabbing by the Russian-Chechen Islamist Mohamed Mogouchkov.

The French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, implied that the Hamas attack against Israel could have inspired this attack and noted that “there is a jihadist atmosphere” in a country where 272 people have been killed by Islamist terrorism since 2012.

France, especially around Paris, has also suffered numerous false terrorist threats in recent days, which for example led to the Louvre Museum and the Palace of Versailles being evacuated and temporarily closed, as well as the busy Parisian train station Gare de Lyon.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition