PARIS —

A French Muslim rapper said on Sunday he was cancelling two gigs at a Paris concert hall attacked by Daesh (the so-called Islamic State) militants three years ago, saying he couldn’t go ahead for security reasons after the far-right accused him of stoking divisions.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen welcomed the cancellation of rapper Medine’s concerts at the Bataclan, where 90 people died in an attack coordinated by Daesh, calling it “a victory for all the victims of Islamist terrorism”.

Medine, a 35-year-old artist who has used phrases such as “crucify the secularists” and “I put fatwas on the heads of idiots” in his songs, told Clique online media last year that he was intentionally provocative to try to shatter stereotypes.

But his plans to hold the two concerts on Oct. 19 and Oct. 20 prompted outcry on the political right, with Le Pen and conservative leader Laurent Wauquiez saying it was an affront to the victims of the bloodshed at the concert hall.

Both staff at the Bataclan and the singer had resisted calls for a cancellation. But they issued statements on Sunday saying the concerts would not go ahead. — Reuters