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MTV Europe Music Awards im Jahr 2022 in Düsseldorf

Photo: Martin Meissner / AP

The MTV Europe Music Awards were supposed to take place in Paris in November, but now the organizer has canceled the event. He justified this with the "volatility of world affairs" in the face of the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza and prudence for the "thousands of employees, crew members, artists, fans and partners who travel from all corners of the world to put on the show," according to X (formerly Twitter).

Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Bad Bunny and the Foo Fighters, for example, were nominated for awards. Swift had seven nominations, including Best Female Artist, Best Song and Best Video for her hit song "Anti-Hero." Other nominees included Jung Kook, a member of K-pop stars BTS, who was also scheduled to perform at the event. The event from the Paris Nord Villepinte was to be broadcast live.

"The MTV EMAs are an annual celebration of global music. As we watch the devastating events in Israel and Gaza, this does not feel like a moment for a global celebration," a spokesperson said, according to Reuters. In view of the thousands of deaths, it is a moment of mourning. We look forward to hosting the MTV EMAs again in November 2024." The annual MTV Europe Music Awards are held in a different city every year, last year the event was held in Düsseldorf.

Security warnings were issued at eight French airports on Wednesday, and several airports were evacuated for checks, the aviation authority said. The Palace of Versailles was closed again due to the third security threat in five days.

Israel launched massive air strikes in the Gaza Strip after massacres in Israeli border towns and at a music festival on October 7 by the Islamist Hamas. Since then, there have also been repeated violent incidents on the border between Israel and Lebanon, fuelling fears of a further escalation of the conflict. You can read about the latest developments here.

ani/Reuters