French DJ files complaints after Grenoble show disruption

French Jewish DJ Barbara Butch has filed complaints after campaigners disrupted one of her performances in Grenoble, her lawyer said.

Butch, 45, was forced off stage during a set in the eastern French city on Saturday. Her lawyer Audrey Msellati said criminal complaints had been filed in Grenoble and Paris alleging incitement to hatred and violence, assault, obstruction of artistic freedom and other offences.

Butch told Franceinfo radio that she would not wish the experience on anyone.

The campaign against her was linked to Israel's war in Gaza and to her decision to sign a petition supporting an abandoned effort to widen the criminal definition of antisemitism in France. Critics of the proposed law said it would restrict people campaigning for Palestinian rights and against Israel's war in Gaza.

Campaigners and local elected figures from the hard-left France Unbowed party had targeted Butch over her support for the petition. She was also falsely accused of appearing at an LGBTQ Pride event in Tel Aviv last year.

The campaign caused unease even among supporters of a cultural boycott of Israel and raised questions about who should be considered a legitimate target for such action. A petition signed by 300 cultural figures in support of Butch said defending Palestinian rights was urgent and legitimate, but could not justify unfounded accusations based on identity, supposed affiliations or opinions.

Butch, who campaigns for LGBTQ rights, has said she faced verbal abuse and objects thrown onto the stage in Grenoble. She has also said she regrets signing the petition in support of the so-called Yadan bill on antisemitism. The bill was withdrawn earlier this year after major protests and criticism from the United Nations.

Her cancelled concert followed protests in June against dissident Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid appearing at a festival in Marseille. Lapid, an outspoken critic of the Israeli government who lives in France, withdrew from the festival. Supporters criticised that campaign in a petition.

Butch became widely known after appearing in the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony. She performed with dancers and drag queens in a scene that recalled depictions of the Last Supper, and was later targeted by an intense online cyberbullying campaign.