A terrified Jewish theatregoer who was hounded out of London‘s Soho Theatre when a comic unfurled a Palestinian flag and led chants telling him to depart has advised MailOnline how he feared the comedian was going to ‘punch’ him.
‘Absurdist’ comic Paul Currie is alleged to have inspired the 200-strong crowd to chant ‘get the f*** out’ and ‘free Palestine‘ at Liahav Eitan on the central London theatre – which was once a synagogue – on Saturday evening.
Mr Eitan, who was out celebrating his thirty third birthday with a pal, has revealed how he was left afraid of the ‘mob mentality’ and has known as for Currie to be banned from theatres.
Viewers members had been left feeling ‘uneasy’ when Currie, who carried out hours after attending a pro-Palestine rally in London, pulled out a Ukraine flag adopted by a Palestine flag on the finish of his one-hour present and demanded a standing ovation.
He then confronted Mr Eitan and his pal as a result of they stayed sat down – earlier than main pro-Palestine chants as they fled the venue. Currie has not responded to requests for remark.
Talking completely to MailOnline, Mr Eitan, who moved from Israel to London 5 years in the past, mentioned: ‘I do not assume theatres ought to ebook this particular person. He appeared violent and harmful.’
The software program engineer, whose seats had been behind Currie, added: ‘The one manner out was by way of the stage. We needed to really get on the stage fairly near him – and I used to be fairly afraid that he’d throw a punch as a result of he was nonetheless cursing and shouting.
‘He acquired out his Palestine flag once more and shouted “motherf***er you will have to look at it once more in your manner out”.’
Liahav Eitan (pictured) was hounded out of London’s Soho Theatre after comic Paul Currie inspired his viewers to chant ‘get the f*** out’ and ‘free Palestine’
Paul Currie is an ‘absurdist’ comic who’s from Belfast. He’s alleged to have advised an Israeli man and his pals to depart his present
Mr Eitan and his pal fled from the Soho Theatre to Bloomsbury in a bid to maneuver away from the venue, the place the group had been spilling out quickly after they left.
He continued: ‘From the viewers, we had been largely scared. We needed to get out of the of the scenario. It appeared like a little bit of a mob mentality that would go bitter any second.
‘So we had been simply afraid of violence. That is why we did not linger proper? We simply needed to get out of there.’
Mr Eitan added: ‘[We were] largely scared about how that room would possibly flip towards us. From the comic, I did not really feel any form of manner like I believed it actually mirrored on him quite than on us.’
Recalling how the evening unfolded, Mr Eitan defined how he and his pal had booked last-minute tickets to see Currie as a result of they’d time to kill earlier than a birthday dinner at 9.30pm.
Mr Eitan mentioned that whereas the present was ‘weird’, all the things was high quality till Currie unfurled the flags and requested the viewers to face up. He mentioned he did not consider it was honest to check the Palestine and Ukraine conflicts however he simply stayed sat and did not do something.
He defined: ‘If I used to be nearer to the door, perhaps I’d have left at that stage. However because it was, I simply waited 5 minutes for the for the present to finish.
‘When it ended, lots of the individuals acquired up and clapped. There was a little bit of a standing ovation there and me and my pals simply stayed sat down quietly and never clapping.
‘I did not imply to make any level of it proper? I simply did not actually take pleasure in that bit.’
Currie, who usually shares pro-Palestine content material, is then mentioned to have proven his appreciation to the group for coming earlier than sarcastically thanking Mr Eitan and his pal for not standing up and clapping.
The Soho Theatre was the place the surprising incident occurred. It additionally was once a synagogue
The Soho Theatre issued a full apology for the incident and mentioned that they might be investigating
Mr Eitan mentioned that Currie ‘lingered’ on them for round 5 to 10 seconds till he responded: ‘Thanks for that Palestine flag’.
Currie then appeared ‘fairly stunned’ and requested Mr Eitan if he was being sarcastic.
‘Then he mentioned one thing like, “Okay, nicely, you are welcome. You are welcome for the Palestine flag. It was a part of the present.”
‘After which he got here again to me once more and mentioned, “Did you benefit from the present?” I mentioned, “Sure, up till that time”. And he mentioned, “Ah up till that time”.
‘Then he simply turns again to me and begins screaming, “I am from Belfast. I do know all the things about ceasefires. Ceasefire now, get the f*** out of my of my theatre. Get out, get the f*** out of my present, motherf***ers.”
Mr Eitan mentioned he then requested his pal if they need to seize their issues and go earlier than they calmly tried to depart.
‘Sadly, when the whole crowd was nonetheless inside, the one manner out was by way of the stage,’ he added.
Coming shut with the comic on stage, Mr Eitan mentioned Currie began a ‘public chant of “Ceasefire now, and free Palestine” as he ‘tried to incite the group’.
He added: ‘I did not take a look at him on the best way out. We simply left.’
The Soho Theatre has apologised for the ‘upset and damage’ attributable to the incident to a few of their clients and can be investigating what occurred.
They wrote: ‘We’re sorry and saddened by an incident that occurred at our venue on the finish of a efficiency of Paul Currie: Shtoom on Saturday 10 of February which has induced upset and damage to members of viewers attending and others.
‘We take this very severely and are wanting into the element of what occurred as totally, as sensitively, and as rapidly as we are able to.
‘You will need to us that Soho Theatre is welcoming and inclusive place for all.’
Paul Currie at a pro-Palestine march
Marketing campaign Towards Antisemitism mentioned they’re helping Jewish visitors who had been allegedly hounded out of the Soho Theatre in London.
A spokesperson for Marketing campaign Towards Antisemitism mentioned: ‘What the Jewish audience-members have recounted is atrocious, and we’re working with them and our legal professionals to make sure that those that instigated and enabled it are held to account.
‘These allegations are of deeply disturbing discriminatory abuse towards Jews. Comedians are rightly given broad latitude, however hounding Jews out of theatres is harking back to humanity’s darkest days, and will need to have no place in central London in 2024.’
MailOnline has contacted Paul Currie for remark.
