French Jewish DJ sues after anti-Israel activists disrupt her gig, lawyer says

Barbara Butch files complaints alleging incitement to hatred and violence, assault, and obstruction of artistic freedom, after she says protesters threw objects at her on stage

PARIS, France — A French Jewish DJ who has become embroiled in the latest cultural boycott campaign linked to Israel’s war in Gaza has filed a complaint against campaigners who disrupted one of her appearances last weekend, her lawyer said Thursday.

Barbara Butch, previously best known for her controversial appearance at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, was forced off stage barely 20 minutes into a set in the eastern city of Grenoble on Saturday.

Butch filed criminal complaints in Grenoble and Paris alleging incitement to hatred and violence, assault, and obstruction of artistic freedom among other complaints, her lawyer Audrey Msellati said.

“I wouldn’t wish on anyone — not even on my worst enemy — to feel or go through what I went through last Saturday,” the 45-year-old told Franceinfo radio on Thursday morning.

According to Butch, protesters shouted insults and threw objects, including glass bottles that shattered near her DJ console.

The City of Grenoble also filed a complaint against what it called “persons unknown” following the incident. Mayor Laurence Ruffin said authorities had evidence of violence and sabotage of electrical equipment. She rejected arguments that the protest was peaceful.

Campaigners and local elected figures from the hard-left France Unbowed political party had targeted Butch over her decision to sign a petition in support of an abandoned attempt to widen the criminal definition of antisemitism in France.

Critics saw the proposed law as seeking to muzzle campaigners who speak out in favor of Palestinian rights and against Israel’s war in Gaza, sparked by the Hamas-led October 2023 attack on Israel.

Butch was also falsely accused of appearing at an LGBTQ Pride event in Tel Aviv last year.

The campaign against her has caused unease even among supporters of a cultural boycott of Israel and has raised questions about who is a legitimate target for such action.

“Defending the rights of the Palestinian people is an urgent, legitimate, and necessary struggle,” a petition signed by 300 leading cultural figures in support of Butch said this week.

“But it cannot justify spreading unfounded accusations against a person because of their identity or supposed affiliations, or even because of their opinions.”

Boycott campaign

Butch, a vocal campaigner for the LGBTQ community, has said she was subjected to verbal abuse as well as being targeted by objects thrown onto the stage in Grenoble.

She has said she regrets signing the petition in support of the so-called Yadan bill on antisemitism, which was withdrawn earlier this year after major protests and criticism from the United Nations.

The legislation, known as Yadan after the French lawmaker, Caroline Yadan, who proposed it in 2024, aimed to combat “new forms of antisemitism” by expanding terrorism-related offenses and criminalizing calls for the destruction of a state recognized by France — a provision widely understood to be aimed at calls for Israel’s destruction, although the bill did not explicitly name Israel.

Supporters argued the legislation was a necessary response to the rising antisemitism following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel. Critics said the bill risked restricting freedom of expression by blurring the line between anti-Zionism and antisemitism.

Butch’s canceled concert followed protests against dissident Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid appearing at a festival in Marseille in June.

Lapid, an outspoken critic of the Israeli government who lives in France, withdrew from the festival as a result.

Supporters called the campaign against him an “intellectual failure” in a petition.

Butch shot to fame — and was subject to an intense online cyberbullying campaign — after the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

She performed alongside dancers and drag queens in a scene that was reminiscent of depictions of the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus is said to have shared with his apostles.

She filed criminal complaints after receiving death threats and online abuse after the ceremony. Four men were later convicted in connection with the online harassment campaign against her.

JTA contributed to this report.