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Les Francofolies de Spa, a staple of Belgium’s summer music festival season since 1994, is at the heart of a growing controversy mere days before it starts.
The four-day event, which aims to promote francophone artists, kicks off tomorrow and one planned set on Friday is fueling concern – that of Franco-Israeli singer Amir, a former contestant on The Voice and France’s Eurovision representative in 2016.
His presence on the billing has angered several other artists who are also due to perform at the festival, who have expressed their unease at Amir’s perceived pro-Israel stance.
Artists like Lovelace, Nicou, CHOSE and Mado have signed a statement denouncing the singer’s presence: “As artists scheduled to perform at the Francofolies de Spa, we strongly disagree with the decision to programme Amir.”
As for Franco-Swiss singer Yoa, she has cancelled her participation (also originally set for Friday) altogether, citing her “social, political and humanist” convictions which dictate that she should not “share the stage with an artist who does not recognise the ongoing genocide in Palestine, and who has taken part in events organised in support of the Israeli army.”
Indeed, Amir took part in an event in Hebron, an Israeli settlement that is illegal under international law, in 2014. Artists have also referred to his attendance at an evening in support of IDF soldiers, organised by Yoni Chetboun – an MP for the far-right Habayit Hayehudi (The Jewish Home) party.
In the wake of Yoa walking away from the festival, two other artists announced that they too were withdrawing from the Francofolies de Spa: Brussels DJ RaQL and activist DJ LibraRomea.
Amir’s label has denounced “an outpouring of anti-Semitic hatred” and posted its support for the singer on Instagram.
As for the organisers of the Francofolies de Spa, interviewed by public service broadcaster for the French-speaking Community of Belgium RTBF, they said they had received “numerous messages calling for Amir to be deprogrammed.”
“In a dramatic context, it is understandable that citizens and artists should question us about the commitments of an artist on the bill”, said the organisers. “We are outraged by the ongoing tragedy in Gaza and deeply shocked by the unacceptable suffering inflicted on the civilian population.”
However, the festival seems to be maintaining Amir’s concert, as they are unable to “morally assess the entirety of his personal trajectory or access the innermost depths of his convictions”.
This comes at a time when tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are regularly overshadowing European music festivals. For instance, this year’s Glastonbury festival in the UK courted controversy over sets by Kneecap and Bob Vylan. This led to the BBC (the festival’s official broadcaster) facing pressure from the UK government – and ultimately leading to the BBC’s director of music having to step down over the scandal.
Les Francofolies de Spatakes place in Spa, Belgium, from 17 – 20 July 2025.
