London’s Soho Theater said it was “sorry and saddened” after an incident in which Jewish spectators were, according to an association, chased out of the theater after refusing to stand up while a Palestinian flag was being waved. According to the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) group, an Israeli man, his partner and four other people of Jewish faith left the room during the incident, which occurred Saturday during a show by comedian Paul Currie.
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According to CAA, one of the affected audience members told the organization that the audience was encouraged to stand up to salute the Ukrainian and Palestinian flags at the end of the show. The man of Israeli nationality was then asked why he did not get up, before according to the story relayed by CAA, the actor “yelled at him” asking him to leave, while others shouted “get out” or “Free Palestine”.
Saying it was “sorry and saddened”, the theater assured that it was taking the incident “very seriously” and was seeking to establish what had happened “in the most thorough, sensitive and rapid manner possible. possible”.
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“What members of the Jewish public experienced was atrocious,” denounced a CAA spokesperson. Driving Jews out of theaters is a reminder of humanity’s darkest days and should have no place in the center of London in 2024.”
Like many countries, the United Kingdom has experienced an increase in anti-Semitic incidents since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, which left more than 1,160 dead, the majority civilians, according to an AFP tally taken from official Israeli data. The Israeli retaliatory offensive left 28,340 dead in the Gaza Strip, the vast majority of them civilians, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health. According to CAA, 80% of Jewish Britons feel that recent events have given rise to increasing hostility towards Jews.
