At the end of a performance at the Soho Theatre in London, stand-up comedian Paul Currie brought out two props—Ukrainian and Palestinian flags—and proceeded to encourage everyone to stand and applaud them.
A young Israeli man seated in the second row at the Feb. 10 show chose not to, prompting the comedian to ask: “You didn’t stand, why? Didn’t you enjoy my show?”
The audience member responded: “I enjoyed your show until you brought out the Palestinian Authority flag.”
This prompted him to yell “Get out of my show! Get the f*** out of here! F*** off, get the f*** out of here!” Currie led the crowd in a chant to “get out” and “Free Palestine” until the man left.
The audience member has reported him to the police for an alleged hate crime.
“We are sorry and saddened by an incident that took place at our venue at the end of a performance of ‘Paul Currie: Shtoom’ on Saturday, 10 February, which has caused upset and hurt to members of the audience attending and others,” the Soho Theatre posted on X. “We take this very seriously and are looking into the details of what happened as thoroughly, as sensitively and as quickly as we can. It is important to us that Soho Theatre is a welcoming and inclusive place for all.”
Currie, originally from Belfast, posted a video to his Instagram account that same day appearing to be shot from his phone, featuring him chanting “Palestine” during an anti-Israel demonstration.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said regarding the incident, “These allegations are of deeply disturbing discriminatory abuse against Jews. Comedians are rightly given broad latitude, but hounding Jews out of theaters is reminiscent of humanity’s darkest days, and must have no place in central London in 2024.”
