Jewish women left 'frightened' after 'intimidating' chants of 'f**k Israel' break out at council-run theatre

Two Jewish women were forced to abandon a comedy show midway through after "intimidating" chants of "f**k Israel" and "Free Palestine" were led from the headline act on stage.

Nichola and Rosalie, who described eagerly anticipating seeing comedian Jen Brister perform, had journeyed from London to the Tunbridge Wells Assembly Rooms theatre, specifically for the performance, because dates in the capital were fully booked.

The pair had purchased tickets as a 60th birthday celebration, drawn to Ms Brister's observational comedy style after watching numerous clips online.

However, their anticipated treat turned sour when the comedian began leading political chants, which the pair viewed as antisemitic, and which were enthusiastically taken up by fellow audience members.

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The women, who had been fans of Ms Brister's work, felt compelled to leave the venue before the show concluded.

Rosalie told GB News: "She started talking about wokeism and all of that, whereas she is trying to be quite woke herself, and to the point that she said was going on about the flags, St George's flag, and how ironic it is that St George was actually half Turkish and half Palestinian. At that point, we both started sinking into our seats.

In a formal complaint to Brister and her management company Ebdon Management, the women described the experience as "deeply intimidating", particularly given their connection to Finchley, where the Jewish community has recently faced distressing local incidents.

They departed the theatre feeling physically unwell and emotionally shaken by what they perceived as antisemitic rhetoric during the performance.

According to the complaint, the comedian had remarked on the current state of polarisation within society during her set moments before the chanting began.

The women argued this observation was deeply ironic, given the divisive atmosphere she fostered in the room exemplified the very polarisation she was commenting upon.

The complaint also highlighted that Ms Brister declared she "doesn't give a s**t" about the impact she has on others during the show.

Rosalie told Britain's News Channel: "She said, 'but I don't give a s**t what I say or how I make anyone feel, and that is why I'm going to say...', and then she screamed down the microphone, 'f**k Israel, free Palestine'. And everyone started cheering. We were frightened. Then she repeated it again. It became a chant. So I said, 'Come on, we'll go'."

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They argued that someone with a substantial public platform bears a responsibility to avoid inciting hatred and division that is already fracturing communities.

Rosalie said: "We were both feeling physically ill by it, and really upset because two days prior to that, they'd been stabbing in Finchley. We both live in the north Finchley area anyway."

"It was really, really inappropriate, not that she was performing in Finchley, but generally, I don't think it's appropriate to be doing that kind of speech. We went out to have a nice evening, to have a laugh, not to get involved in politics."

"People can support whichever side they want, but it's this kind of polarisation she was creating that she was slagging off earlier."

She added: "It's all of this kind of anger and screaming and shouting that is driving other people to start attacking us, because there are too many ignorant people out there that cannot tell the difference between politics in Israel and Jewish people that are totally not associated.

"She is influencing people, as a lot of celebrities do, she's influencing people, and she's only giving one side, and the fact that she said, I don't give a s**t about what other people think, is giving permission to anyone that follows her."

Speaking on her experience as a British, Rosalie said: "I'm English. And for me personally, it's very difficult at the moment."

Jen Brister representatives were approached for comment.

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