A stand-up show by Reginald D. Hunter has been cancelled by a Glasgow theatre, following accusations of anti-Semitism against the comedian.
The Eastwood Theatre in Giffnock has dropped the booking just days after Hunter’s show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival led to what the comic described as an “unfortunate incident”.
According to The Telegraph, on Thursday, two Israeli audience members walked out of his show after complaining about a joke where Hunter likened living with an abusive wife to “being married to Israel”. The audience members were reportedly heckled as they left the venue.
The Glasgow show was scheduled for September 28, but the East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure Committee, which controls the theatre in question, said that the “controversial comments” led them to cancel the show (via BBC).
They added that while they respect “the freedom of expression of artists”, they have a “commitment to our community and to our values of diversity and inclusion, which we take seriously”.
— Reginald D Hunter (@reginalddhunter) August 15, 2024
All customers with tickets to the cancelled show would receive a refund, it said.
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Hunter posted on X/Twitter after the decision was made, saying: “There was an unfortunate incident in my new show ‘Fluffy Fluffy Beavers’. As a comedian, I do push boundaries in creating humour, it’s part of my job.
“This inevitably creates divided opinions but I am staunchly anti-war and anti-bully. I regret any stress caused to the audience and venue staff members.”
In response to the reports, a Police Scotland spokesperson said they were “made aware of a hate incident” at an event in Edinburgh on Sunday. “All information gathered was fully reviewed and no crime was established.”
In June, a stand-up show in Sydney by Jerry Seinfeld was heckled by a pro-Palestinian audience member. A video shared by the Australian Jewish Association showed the man shouting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Seinfeld himself responded to the heckler: “We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen. He solved the Middle East!”
“It’s the Jewish comedians, that’s who we have to get! They’re the ones doing everything,” he continued, to cheers from the audience.