The Europe Music Awards, which were scheduled to take place in Paris on November 5, were canceled by MTV on Thursday because of the “devastating events” occurring 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 organisers said in a statement. “With thousands of lives already lost, it is a moment of mourning.”
Stars including BTS’s Jung Kook, David Guetta, and Thirty Seconds to Mars were scheduled to play at the yearly occasion.
“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,” according to the organizers Paramount Global, is the reason behind their actions.
With the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the accompanying Gaza conflict, and the Friday assassination of a teacher in France by a guy posing as an Islamic State terrorist, France—a country with sizable Muslim and Jewish communities—has been on high alert.
