MTV cancels 2023 EMAs over Israel-Hamas war

The organisers of the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) have cancelled this year’s ceremony over “devastating events in Israel and Hamas”.

The annual event had been due to take place in Paris on Sunday, November 5, with music stars like Nigeria’s Rema, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj among the high-profile nominees.

The cancellation, according to the organisers, is due to security concerns “given the volatility of world events”.

“Given the volatility of world events, we have decided not to move forward with the 2023 MTV EMAs out of 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,” the network wrote in a statement shared via X on Thursday.

Given the volatility of world events, we have decided not to move forward with the 2023 MTV EMAs out of 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.

— MTV EMA (@mtvema) October 19, 2023

“The MTV EMAs are an annual celebration of global music. As we watch the devastating events in Israel and Gaza continue to unfold, this does not feel like a moment for a global celebration. With thousands of lives already lost, it is a moment of mourning.”

It is understood that the annual event will now be rescheduled for November 2024.

Although the event has been called off, voting will continue while the winning artistes will still receive their MTV EMA Awards.

Rema and Gomez also were among the headliners for the 2023 MTV EMAs.

‘Calm Down’, a song by Rema, was nominated in the ‘Best Collaboration’ category while the singer is a nominee in the ‘Best Afrobeats’ category.

The EMAs have been running since 1994. It was first hosted in Berlin, Germany.

BACKGROUND ON ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

On October 7, the Hamas militant group infiltrated Israel from Gaza in an unprecedented attack through the air, land and sea, opening another vicious chapter in the age-long, complex crisis between Israel and Palestine.

After the attack, some 1,400 people, the vast majority of them civilians, were killed. Nearly 200 people were also taken hostage.

Gaza which is controlled by the militant group, is a narrow strip of land sandwiched between Israel and the Mediterranean Sea, but with a short southern border with Egypt.

Hamas labelled the attack as “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm” and claimed it was planned for two years.

According to Hamas’ top commanders, more than 5,000 rockets have been launched into Israel in retaliation for the country’s “desecration” of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the killing of hundreds of Palestinians.

Israel, in return, through Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minster, vowed that it would annihilate the Hamas militant group and asked residents of Gaza to flee the city as Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) will operate forcefully.