Barbara Butch concert halted in Grenoble after pro‑Palestinian protest

On the night of 18 July 2026, DJ Barbara Butch performed at the Cabaret Frappé festival in Grenoble. About twenty minutes into the set, roughly 150 pro‑Palestinian activists, responding to a boycott call organized by the local branch of La France insoumise (LFI), entered the venue, brandished Palestinian flags, shouted and threw glass bottles and other projectiles toward the stage. The city’s mayor, Laurence Ruffin, described the incident as “of extreme gravity” and announced that Grenoble will file a complaint to identify the perpetrators. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez condemned the violence on X, labeling it an act of antisemitism and an unacceptable infringement on freedom of expression. The protest was linked to Butch’s signing of a March 2025 tribune that supported the controversial Yadan law – a draft intended to combat new forms of antisemitism, which was later withdrawn. Butch, a 45‑year‑old LGBTQ+ DJ who appeared at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, has not commented publicly on the forced interruption. The episode has sparked debate within the French left over cultural boycotts and freedom of speech.