Day: September 12, 2025

Cancellation of Munich Philharmonic Concert Sparks Controversy

The Munich Philharmonic, scheduled to perform in Ghent on September 18 under the baton of Lahav Shani, has had its concert canceled by festival organizers over concerns regarding Shani’s connections with the Israeli government, reports 24brussels.

Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) condemned the cancellation, labeling it “reckless and irresponsible.” He pointed out that the decision has generated significant backlash in Germany, where it has been described as antisemitic.

“Imposing a professional ban on someone solely because of their origin is, at the very least, reckless and irresponsible,” De Wever stated. He further noted that it is “quite unprecedented to demand that artists put their thoughts in writing,” asserting that such a requirement threatens artistic freedom and could damage Belgium’s reputation.

Political Reactions and International Backlash

Georges-Louis Bouchez, president of the MR, labeled the cancellation a disgrace and called for the resignation of Flemish Culture Minister Caroline Gennez, who had expressed support for the festival’s decision. Bouchez contended that this represents a form of “political policing tinged with antisemitism,” questioning whether all Belgians would now be required to state their positions on various issues before being invited to perform.

Internationally, reactions have been swift. Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, denounced the concert’s cancellation as “pure antisemitism.” He charged that the festival organizers sent a harmful message excluding Jewish participation, describing this act as a “frontal assault on artistic freedom disguised as criticism of Israel.”

Germany’s ambassador to Belgium, Martin Kotthaus, expressed regret over the decision, labeling both it and its rationale as incomprehensible.

The Ghent Festival of Flanders commenced its annual celebration tonight, featuring events across approximately 30 towns in East Flanders throughout September. With around 1,500 artists performing at historic venues including St Bavo’s Cathedral and the Ghent Opera, the festival is renowned for showcasing high-quality classical and world music through approximately 180 concerts each year.

• McDonald’s Japan learned a hard lesson from its Pokémon Happy Meal chaos in August.
• For its new Sanrio Happy Meal launch, the company capped the number of meals each customer can buy.
• It said it strictly prohibits the resale of the meals and does not tolerate food wastage.

It looks like McDonald’s Japan is set on never repeating the Pokémon Happy Meal chaos.

The chain launched a Sanrio Happy Meal on Friday, featuring toys of Sanrio’s “My Melody & Kuromi” characters. The Happy Meal also includes a Plarail toy and a picture book with Sanrio’s “Cinnamoroll” character.

But the fast-food giant seemed to have learned its lesson from its Pokémon Happy Meal release in August.

On the weekend of August 9, Pokémon fans and resellers, eager to get their hands on limited edition McDonalds-Pokémon trading cards, formed snaking lines in stores. The Happy Meal launch unraveled into fights, massive food wastage, and scalpers cashing in.

For Friday’s Sanrio Happy Meal launch, McDonald’s added several guardrails “to prevent bulk purchases for resale purposes and food being left unattended,” the company said in a news release.

Customers can only buy the meals in-store at McDonald’s outlets, and not through mobile orders, drive-thru pickups, or delivery services.

The company also limited the maximum number of meals one group could buy to three meals. Multiple purchases by the same customer group are prohibited, the company said.

Last month, buyers told Business Insider that McDonald’s had allowed them to place unlimited orders for the Pokémon meals, and some had purchased as many as 20.

The meal was priced at 500 yen, or about $3.50. Following the launch, Business Insider saw dozens of Pokémon card listings on Mercari, Japan’s largest online resale marketplace, with some priced as high as 3,000 yen.

On Friday, after the Happy Meal sale started, at least two of the “My Melody & Kuromi” toys were listed on Mercari.

Friday’s release added that McDonald’s “does not tolerate the abandonment or disposal of food.”

“We strictly prohibit the purchase or resale of Happy Meals, purchases for other profit-making purposes, and customers who do not abide by the above rules and etiquette,” McDonald’s said.

The Pokémon Happy Meal chaos was not the first time McDonald’s promotions have gotten out of hand. Its BTS meals in 2021 and Hello Kitty plushies in Singapore in 2015 were wildly popular, leading to long queues and overcrowded stores.

Kieran Gibb, the founder of Monogic, a Hong Kong-based food and beverage marketing company, told Business Insider in August that the Pokémon Happy Meal chaos could leave “a sour taste” in the mouths of its Japanese consumer base, one that cares about social etiquette and reducing food waste.

McDonald’s stock is up about 6% in the past year.

Representatives for McDonald’s did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.