No Time for Celebration: MTV Cancels This Year's Europe Music Awards Due to the War in Israel
For the first time in 19 years, music channel MTV has cancelled its annual Europe Music Awards (EMA) ceremony, scheduled for November 5th in Villepinte, near Paris, due to the ongoing war in Israel and Gaza.
The announcement was made on MTV's official website. It stated, "MTV EMA is an annual celebration of global music. As we witness the destructive events of the war in Israel and Gaza continuing to unfold, this does not seem like a moment for global celebration. With thousands of lives already lost, this is a time for reflection. Voting is ongoing, and MTV EMA Award winners will be celebrated. We look forward to hosting the MTV EMA ceremony again in November 2024."
MTV also emphasized in its press release the "concerns regarding the thousands of employees, team members, artists, fans, and partners who had planned to come from all corners of the world to participate in this music show."
This year's ceremony was expected to feature many stars, including Anne-Marie, Coi Leray, David Guetta, J-Hope, Manuel Turizo, Ozuna, Remy, Rene Rapp, Sabrina Carpenter, and Thirty Seconds to Mars.
MTV EMA 2023 was scheduled to be broadcast live on MTV in over 150 countries worldwide.
Last week, the French government declared a "state of exceptional threat" following a terrorist attack on a school in Arras and the murder of a teacher. According to authorities, there is a likelihood of increased terrorist group activity due to events in the Middle East.
On October 14th, the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles were temporarily closed for "security reasons." Later, at the government's recommendation, three airports in French cities - Lyon, Toulouse, and Lille - were evacuated and temporarily closed for security reasons. France continues to grapple with a wave of false bomb threats.
The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Europe. The annual ceremony takes place in one of the major European cities and honours the best performers from different countries. The special guests at last year's MTV EMA ceremony were the winners of the 2022 Eurovision, the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra.