I worry about the rising number of young Jew haters in our country. They try to keep secret their antisemitism but suddenly they let it rip as it did at the Edinburgh Festival.
Reginald D Hunter, a US-born comedian, was half-way through his sellout gig on Sunday night when the hate was revealed. It all started when Hunter, 55, made a quip about how he was watching a recent Channel 5 documentary about domestic abuse when it made him think about Israel.
As a woman told her story about abuse by her husband, the comedian said he thought to himself; ‘’My God, it’s like being married to Israel.’’
The joke caused laughter, but a couple in the front row shouted ‘’not funny.’’ That couple, one of whom was disabled, then revealed they were Israelis.
Members of the audience then started to boo them. Others shouted ‘’f++k off’’ , there were slow handclaps and cries of ‘’genocidal maniac. Inevitably ‘’free Palestine’’ was shouted.
The Israelis then left the theatre. Who could blame them? They would have felt very threatened. They would have no idea their night of comedy was going to end like this.
Hunter, according, to a witness, openly laughed at them as the audience continued to jeer. To my mind Hunter should have upbraided the audience for their bullying. But no, he doubled down, as he worked out what made this ghastly mob laugh.
The pair having left, Hunter then related a story about how his partner had complained about not being able to access the Jewish Chronicle’s website as it was behind a paywall.
He then said; ‘’ Typical f+++ing Jews, they won’t tell you anything unless you subscribe.’’ Beyond shocking. Had that been said about a Muslim website I am pretty sure there would have been a hate charge.
Fortunately, The Telegraph’s chief theatre critic Dominic Cavendish was in the audience and witnessed the shocking humiliation describing it as the ‘’ most unpleasant gig I’ve ever attended.’’
You might have thought that since Hunter comes from a minority that he would have defended the couple. But, disgracefully, he wanted to go with the majority. The man with the mic is the most powerful in the room. Why wouldn’t he want to use that power?
This Jew hating is not new. What is new is that it has been embraced by the Gen Zs and Millenials. Of course, this is due to Gaza and the deaths of so many. But if your enemy is deliberately hiding among its people there are bound to be innocent victims.
Israel is a democracy surrounded by enemies who literally want to wipe them off the face of the earth. Do the young not understand this or are they turning into Holocaust deniers. Israel needs our support.
What it doesn’t need is an audience like that at the Edinburgh Fringe. Nor a ‘’comedian’’ like Hunter. Shocking that the couple were driven from the theatre. Almost as bad was the ‘’gag’’ about the Jewish Chronicle, an old trope.
I’m certainly not in favour of any police action but I would like the young to reflect on what happened that evening and take the decision not to attend any more Hunter gigs. I suspect that the reverse will happen.
His shows will be packed, probably by Gaza supporters who think they have found an advocate. All this reflects so badly on the United Kingdom.