The Carthage International Festival in Tunisia has cancelled an upcoming performance by French singer Helene Segara due to her public support for "Israel", according to Anadolu Agency.

The decision followed an outpouring of criticism from Tunisian activists and social media users, who viewed her participation as a form of cultural normalization.

Many described the move as a "national duty" amid widespread regional outrage over the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza and broader solidarity with the Palestinian people.

In an official statement, the festival's organizing committee announced, “It has been decided to cancel Helene Segara’s performance as part of the 59th edition of the festival.” The singer had been scheduled to perform on July 31 during the event, which runs from July 19 to August 21.

The festival administration emphasized its alignment with Tunisia’s historical and political stance on Palestine. “We are committed to Tunisia’s firm stance in supporting the brotherly Palestinian people in their quest to regain all their rights and establish their independent state with al-Quds as its capital,” the statement read.

Statement reaffirms Tunisia’s anti-normalization stance

The cancellation reflects a broader push within Tunisia to resist all forms of normalization with the Israeli occupation. Activists framed the decision not as censorship, but as an assertion of cultural and political principle in solidarity with a just cause.

The statement also highlighted a deliberate shift in programming this year. Organizers pledged to showcase performances that “support Palestine and its people, celebrate their steadfastness and struggle, and affirm their right to life and freedom.”

The Carthage International Festival, one of the oldest cultural events in the Arab world, has increasingly become a platform for political and cultural expression in recent years, often mirroring Tunisia’s public sentiment and resistance to normalization with "Israel".