The Soho Theatre in London is currently investigating claims that a comedian “hounded out” Jewish audience members after they objected to the presence of a Palestinian flag at a recent show. According to the Jewish charity Campaign Against Anti-Semitism (CAA), this incident took place on February 10th, after comedian Paul Currie encouraged the audience to stand and applaud the Ukrainian and Palestinian flags displayed at the end of his show.
The CAA reported that one Israeli man and his partner decided to leave after the Israelite was asked why he had remained seated, and he responded that he had enjoyed the show until seeing the Palestinian flag. According to the CAA, the comedian “yelled at” the Israeli man to leave, after which other members of the audience began shouting too. The Jewish couple and their Hebrew companions left the premises.
In a statement released online, Soho Theatre confirmed they are “looking into the detail of what happened as thoroughly, sensitively, and quickly as we can” and expressed their apologies for the incident. The CAA and an anonymous Jewish guest provided an account of the events, detailing the confrontation between Paul Currie and the Israeli guest. Other audience members allegedly joined in yelling and “free Palestine”.
The theatre, a former synagogue, is a registered charity and the Charity Commission is currently assessing the incident. Hamas’ 2023 attack led to a spike in anti-Semitic incidents according to the Community Security Trust. In regard to this incident, legal options are being considered to hold individuals accountable, and the Charity Commission is looking into the event.