Tunisian festival scraps concert by French singer over support for Israel

The administration of the International Festival of Carthage in Tunisia cancelled on Wednesday a concert by French singer Helene Segara over her support for Israel, Anadolu reports.

Tunisian activists launched a campaign on social media demanding that the concert be cancelled because of Segara’s support for Tel Aviv.

The activists called on the festival’s administration to withdraw the concert, describing it as a “national duty” in light of what they considered attempts to promote normalization with Israel under the cover of art.

“It has been decided to cancel Helene Segara’s performance as part of the 59th edition of the festival,” the administration said in a statement.

The concert was scheduled for July 31 as part of this year’s festival running from July 19 to Aug. 21.

The festival administration confirmed its commitment “to Tunisia’s firm stance in supporting the brotherly Palestinian people in their quest to regain all their rights and establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.”

It also emphasized its keenness “to include performances this year that support Palestine and its people, celebrating their steadfastness and struggle, and affirming their right to life and freedom.”

The Israeli army has killed nearly 57,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and a spread of disease.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.