Maureen Lipman reveals she has had to hire security to protect herself from pro-Palestine activists after Labour's lack of action on anti-Semitism

By WILL HALLOWELL, NEWS REPORTER Published: 01:25, 5 June 2026 | Updated: 01:25, 5 June 2026 Dame Maureen Lipman claims she has been 'forced' to hire security because of Labour's 'inaction' on anti-Semitism.  The Jewish actress, 80, said she has hired protection after 'bigots' tried to have her new stage show cancelled in Aberdeen.  She has claimed that pro-Palestine supporters are boycotting her 'non-political' play, Allegra, over her support for Israel, adding that anti-Semitic caricatures have been shared of her online.  This includes a 'doctored' poster which depicts the actress as having horns and a pitchfork.  Writing in The Spectator about the activists trying to cancel her, Dame Lipman said: 'I am forced by government inaction on anti-Semitism to hire security for the tour.  'A few bigots in Aberdeen have been campaigning to get the show cancelled because of my support for Israel, which they describe as "extremist" and, for good measure, "hateful".  'Online they've circulated a version of the show's poster which has been doctored to give me horns and a pitchfork. That dopey old trope again.' It comes after Police Scotland was last month criticised for ruling that the 'anti-Semitic' image of Dame Maureen Lipman was not a hate crime. Dame Maureen Lipman attends the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral on September 16, 2025 The Mail revealed in May that the force was assessing a photograph on Facebook of the actress with red devil's horns and a trident. In medieval Christian folklore and artwork, Jews were depicted with grotesque characteristics such as devil's horns and other Satanic features.  It was posted by pro-Palestine activists calling for her to be dropped from a play, sparking concern among Scotland's Jewish community.  The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC), which posted the image, lobbied for people to back a petition demanding that the 80-year-old 'national treasure' be stopped from taking to the stage. Police have logged the photograph as a non-crime hate incident, which means officers believed that it fell short of criminality, although details have been kept on file. The decision comes despite the implementation of the Hate Crime Act which came into force in 2024 and introduced new offences of 'stirring up hatred'. The Act criminalised the 'communication of threatening or abusive material which is intended to stir up hatred against a group of people'.  Dame Maureen appeared at His Majesty's Theatre (HMT) in Aberdeen from May 26-30 in a touring 'heart-warming comedy with music' called Allegra, by Peter Quilter. Dame Maureen Lipman bows at the curtain call during the press night performance of Rose at The Ambassadors Theatre on May 26, 2023 She recently told LBC she believes anti-Semitism in the UK has reached levels akin to the pogroms in Nazi Germany in 1933, following the stabbings of two Jewish men in Golders Green, London. The former Coronation Street star also called for a ban on pro-Palestine marches in London.  The ruling that the image did not constitute a hate crime was met with backlash.  Chairman of the Jewish Council of Scotland, Timothy Lovat, who reported the image to police, said: 'I had a meeting with the Chief Constable last week and she told me this was the case. 'I don't understand what a non-crime hate incident is – if it is a hate incident, then in my humble opinion it should be a crime.' He claimed there was a 'reluctance from Police Scotland to charge people with these sorts of crimes', adding: 'Until there is a conscious effort from all parties to put a stop to this anti-Semitic hate, then the Jewish community in Scotland will remain unsafe in their own homes.' Last month, a Police Scotland spokesman told the Mail: 'We have received a report (regarding the Dame Maureen post) which is being assessed. 'Officers are also liaising with partners and continue to proactively engage with the Jewish community.' Mr Lovat said at the time that the post was 'absolutely anti-Semitic and disgusting – this is the kind of thing which is leading to anti-Semitic attacks on our streets'. A Police Scotland spokesman also said previously: 'The social media content has been assessed and recorded as a non-crime hate incident.' The force would not comment on why the image was not being treated as a crime. A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesman told The Telegraph: 'The horrific rise of anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish hatred in Britain and across the world is intolerable, and we will not rest until Britain is a place where every Jewish person can live openly, safely and proudly. 'We are investing a record £58m in protective security funding for the Jewish community.  'But we're not stopping there, we're going after the root causes too, and taking tough action across every corner of society.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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