MTV cancels Europe Music Awards over Israel-Gaza war

US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift poses with the award for “Best Video” during the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards in Düsseldorf, on Nov. 13, 2022. MTV canceled on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, its Europe Music Awards ceremony, due to be held in Paris on Nov. 5, citing the “devastating events” taking place in Israel and Gaza. SASCHA SCHUERMANN / AFP

PARIS—MTV canceled on Thursday, Oct. 19, its Europe Music Awards ceremony, due to be held in Paris on Nov. 5, citing the “devastating events” taking place in Israel and Gaza.

“As we watch the devastating events in Israel and Gaza continue to unfold, this does not feel like a moment for a global celebration,” the organizers said in a statement. “With thousands of lives already lost, it is a moment of mourning.”

Stars including David Guetta, Jungkook (of BTS) and Thirty Seconds to Mars had been due to perform at the annual event.

Organizers Paramount Global said they were acting 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.”

France, which has large Muslim and Jewish communities, has been on high alert since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza, and the killing of a teacher on Friday in France by a man claiming to act for the Islamic State extremist group.  /ra