A Jewish theatregoer who was hounded out of London’s Soho Theatre by a comedian because he refused to celebrate a Palestine flag has told MailOnline that the comic has ‘put us in a very dangerous situation’.
Liahav Eitan, who was out celebrating his 33rd birthday with a friend, was subjected to chants of ‘get the f*** out’ and ‘free Palestine’ at the end of ‘absurdist’ comedian Paul Currie’s one-hour show at the central London theatre on Saturday.
The shocking incident took place in front of around 200 people when Currie unfurled a Ukraine flag and then a Palestine flag before demanding the crowd give a standing ovation and clap.
Audience members were left feeling ‘uneasy’ when he then confronted Mr Eitan and his friend because they stayed sat down. He then told them to leave his show and led pro-Palestine chants as they fled the venue across the stage.
In the wake of the backlash, Soho Theatre last night banned Currie from the venue, adding that his actions were ‘unacceptable and have no place on our stages’.
Mr Eitan welcomed the ban and praised Soho Theatre for choosing to be ‘on the right side of this’.
But he told MailOnline: ‘I think Paul Currie has put us in a very dangerous situation. And I’d like to see what the police thinks about that behaviour.’
Liahav Eitan (pictured) was ‘hounded out’ of London’s Soho Theatre by comedian Paul Currie
![Paul Currie, who is accused of encouraging a crowd at his show to chant 'get the f*** out' and 'free Palestine', performing at a separate gig in Belfast in 2013](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/14/09/81242247-13082091-Paul_Currie_who_is_accused_of_encouraging_a_crowd_at_his_show_to-a-3_1707903887472.jpg)
Paul Currie, who is accused of encouraging a crowd at his show to chant ‘get the f*** out’ and ‘free Palestine’, performing at a separate gig in Belfast in 2013
Mr Eitan previously told MailOnline how he feared that Currie was going to ‘punch’ him and that he was left terrified by the ‘mob mentality’ of the crowd.
Soho Theatre has said it would not tolerate ‘intimidation of audience members, acts of antisemitism or any other forms of racism’ and it is now working with the Campaign Against Antisemitism to speak to any affected audience members.
Currie’s next performance in Glasgow on March 15 could also be at risk, with The Stand Comedy Club confirming that it was ‘reviewing the situation’.
Speaking about the comedian’s ban from the Soho Theatre, Mr Eitan said: ‘For me it’s not about punishment. I don’t have a vendetta against Paul Currie. I think that any venue booking him should should have clear answers about how they can keep the audience safe from this guy.
‘I think given what Soho Theatre just experienced, he seems to be a liability.’
Currie has yet to comment on the incident and appeared to double down on his alleged behaviour by posting a pro-Palestine poster to his Instagram story yesterday. He also shared praise for his incendiary routine on Monday.
Mr Eitan continued: ‘I think that’s very telling. I think if he was remorseful, if he thought that he was in the wrong, then he would have said so publicly.
‘I think the fact that he’s hiding is very telling about how he sees this situation differently. I imagine that he thinks he’s the victim.’
Mr Eitan does not believe this incident has ended yet and believes that further action should be taken.
He told MailOnline: ‘I’d like for there to be a price for such a behaviour. But I don’t have any specific plans.’
![Soho Theatre, where the incident occurred, has said the under fire comedian will not be invited back to perform at the venue](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/14/09/81242251-13082091-Soho_Theatre_where_the_incident_occurred_has_said_the_under_fire-a-4_1707903887475.jpg)
Soho Theatre, where the incident occurred, has said the under fire comedian will not be invited back to perform at the venue
Soho Theatre said in a statement last night: ‘Soho Theatre will not tolerate intimidation of audience members due to their nationality, race, religion or beliefs.
‘On Saturday evening, following the end of Paul Currie’s show Shtoom, Jewish members of the audience were subjected to verbal abuse and the performer aggressively demanding they leave the theatre.
‘Such appalling actions are unacceptable and have no place on our stages, now or ever. We will not be inviting Paul Currie back to perform at our venue.
‘Whilst we robustly support the right of artists to express a wide range of views in their shows, intimidation of audience members, acts of antisemitism or any other forms of racism will not be tolerated at Soho Theatre.
‘We are continuing our investigation, discussing the incident with that evening’s audience and consulting with the police.
‘We are working with the Campaign Against Antisemitism to meet with members of the audience who were affected.
‘We are taking professional advice to safeguard the much-valued inclusivity of Soho Theatre.’
Mr Eitan told MailOnline: ‘I’m very glad they [Soho Theatre] decided to be on the right side of this. I think they they did the right thing.
‘The response also mentioned that they are working with the Campaign Against Antisemitism to reach out to members of the audience.
‘I can confirm that they have reached out to me through Campaign Against Antisemitism, and I’m looking forward to meeting with them and seeing how the security procedures there can can be improved.’
Following the shocking scenes at the theatre, which is a former synagogue, a Met Police spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We are aware of the incident that took place at the Soho Theatre on Saturday evening.
‘We understand why it was upsetting for those involved and we note the venue has issued a statement confirming they are looking into what took place. A report was submitted to police on Monday and enquiries are ongoing.’
![A statement posted on by Soho Theatre following the incident on Saturday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/14/09/81242487-13082091-A_statement_posted_on_by_Soho_Theatre_following_the_incident_on_-a-2_1707903887470.jpg)
A statement posted on by Soho Theatre following the incident on Saturday
![The under-fire comedian was at a pro-Palestine march hours before the show on Saturday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/14/09/81170089-13082091-The_under_fire_comedian_was_at_a_pro_Palestine_march_hours_befor-a-5_1707903887514.jpg)
The under-fire comedian was at a pro-Palestine march hours before the show on Saturday
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline on Monday, Mr Eitan, who moved from Israel to London five years ago, said: ‘I don’t think theatres should book this person [Currie]. He seemed violent and dangerous.’
The software engineer, whose seats were behind Currie, added: ‘The only way out was through the stage. We had to actually get on the stage quite close to him – and I was quite afraid that he’d throw a punch because he was still cursing and shouting.
‘He got out his Palestine flag again and shouted “motherf***er you’ll have to watch it again on your way out”.’
Mr Eitan and his friend fled from the Soho Theatre to Bloomsbury in a bid to move away from the venue, where the crowd were spilling out and some of them were giving them ‘unfriendly glances’.
He continued: ‘From the audience, we were mostly scared. We wanted to get out of the of the situation. It seemed like a bit of a mob mentality that could go sour any second.
‘So we were just afraid of violence. That’s why we didn’t linger right? We just wanted to get out of there.’
Mr Eitan added: ‘[We were] mostly scared about how that room might turn against us. From the comedian, I didn’t feel any sort of way like I thought it really reflected on him rather than on us.’
Recalling how the night unfolded, Mr Eitan explained how he and his friend had booked last-minute tickets to see Currie because they had time to kill before a birthday dinner at 9.30pm.
Mr Eitan said that while the show was ‘bizarre’, everything was fine until Currie unfurled the flags and asked the audience to stand up.
He said he didn’t believe it was fair to compare the Palestine and Ukraine conflicts but he just stayed sat and didn’t do anything.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions as the Israel-Hamas conflict rages on.
![A post shared to Paul Currie's Instagram story on Tuesday morning](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/14/09/81199285-13082091-A_post_shared_to_Paul_Currie_s_Instagram_story_on_Tuesday_mornin-a-6_1707903887515.jpg)
A post shared to Paul Currie’s Instagram story on Tuesday morning
![Currie shared praise from another comedian who thanked him for 'unapologetically calling for a ceasefire now'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/14/09/81199287-13082091-Currie_shared_praise_from_another_comedian_who_thanked_him_for_u-a-8_1707903887543.jpg)
Currie shared praise from another comedian who thanked him for ‘unapologetically calling for a ceasefire now’
Mr Eitan continued: ‘If I was closer to the door, maybe I would have left at that stage. But as it was, I just waited five minutes for the for the show to end.
‘When it ended, a lot of the people got up and clapped. There was a bit of a standing ovation there and me and my friends just stayed sat down quietly and not clapping.
‘I didn’t mean to make any point of it right? I just didn’t really enjoy that bit.’
Currie, who often shares pro-Palestine content on social media, is then said to have shown his appreciation to the crowd for coming before sarcastically thanking Mr Eitan and his friend for not standing up and clapping.
Mr Eitan said that Currie ‘lingered’ on them for around five to ten seconds until he responded: ‘Thank you for that Palestine flag’.
Currie then seemed ‘quite taken aback’ and asked Mr Eitan if he was being sarcastic.
‘Then he said something like, “Okay, well, you’re welcome. You’re welcome for the Palestine flag. It was part of the show.”
‘And then he came back to me again and said, “Did you enjoy the show?” I said, “Yes, up until that point”. And he said, “Ah up until that point”.
‘Then he just turns back to me and starts screaming, ‘I’m from Belfast. I know everything about ceasefires. Ceasefire now, get the f*** out of my theatre. Get out, get the f*** out of my show, motherf***ers.’
Mr Eitan said he then asked his friend if they should grab their things and go before they calmly attempted to leave.
‘Unfortunately, when the entire crowd was still inside, the only way out was through the stage,’ he added.
Coming close with the comedian on stage, Mr Eitan said Currie started a ‘public chant of ‘ceasefire now, and free Palestine’ as he ‘tried to incite the crowd’.
He added: ‘I didn’t look at him on the way out. We just left.’
![In another post to his story, Currie shared a tweet by comedian Frankie Boyle on the Israel-Palestine conflict](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/14/09/81199295-13082091-In_another_post_to_his_story_Currie_shared_a_tweet_by_comedian_F-a-7_1707903887520.jpg)
In another post to his story, Currie shared a tweet by comedian Frankie Boyle on the Israel-Palestine conflict
Mr Eitan said Currie should ‘certainly’ be reprimanded for his ‘unreasonable and unprofessional behaviour’.
Yesterday Currie seemingly doubled down on his alleged behaviour by posting a pro-Palestine poster to his Instagram story this morning.
It read: ‘I will not quietly nor politely sit and make house within the depravity of this killing machine’.
He also reposted praise from another comic last night which said: ‘Thanks @paulcurriecomedian for an amazing show on Saturday and for unapologetically calling for a ceasefire now.’
In another post to his story, he shared images of injured children on a stretcher with the caption, ‘ceasefire now!’ which is one of the phrases he is accused of shouting at Mr Eitan.
It also has emerged that audience members at a previous show in Australia claimed he verbally abused and evicted them after they refused to drink an unknown liquid.
Currie is claimed to have tried to force people attending the Adelaide Fringe in 2016 to drink from a glass – which he said contained soy milk – before they declined.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: ‘What the Jewish audience-members have recounted is atrocious, and we are working with them and our lawyers to ensure that those who instigated and enabled it are held to account.
‘These allegations are of deeply disturbing discriminatory abuse against Jews. Comedians are rightly given broad latitude, but hounding Jews out of theatres is reminiscent of humanity’s darkest days, and must have no place in central London in 2024.’
The Israel-Hamas conflict was sparked by the Palestinian terror group’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians.
The Hamas-ruled territory’s health ministry says Israel’s offensive has killed at least 28,340 people in Gaza, mostly women and children.
Paul Currie has not responded to MailOnline’s requests for comment.
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