PRO-PALESTINE demonstrators are set to protest a play starring British soap actor Maureen Lipman following her “shocking views” of “denying Israel’s apartheid practices and years of attacks on Gaza”.
The former Coronation Street actress, who is Jewish, is set to perform at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal this week as part of the cast for Allegra, a new comedy by playwright Peter Quilter.
Lipman has faced criticism from pro-Palestine protesters over her past comments, including most recently when she spoke out after the group Artists for Palestine UK launched a campaign calling for British theatres to end their partnerships with Bloomberg Philanthropies over its ties to Israel.
The letter was signed by more than 250 actors, including Steve Coogan, Maxine Peake and Miriam Margolyes.
In response to the campaign, Lipman reportedly said: “When babies were garrotted, women dragged by their hair and a family had eyeballs gouged out and fingers chopped off in front of their children — do they really think that Israeli blockades on the border with Gaza are justification for such acts of violence?”
Adding: “Those bigoted signaturists, do they have no soul as well as no judgment?
“Those bleeding heartless liberals who care so deeply for the Palestinians?”
Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card [SIGTRC], an international grassroots campaign led by football fans, activists, and human rights advocates, said they will protest Allegra while it is showing in Scotland due to Lipman’s comments.
A spokesperson for the group said that the actress has a “decades-long track record of making racist remarks, especially aimed towards Arabs and in particular Palestinians”.
They added that Lipman’s previous remarks have diminished Palestinians' suffering by “denying Israel’s apartheid practices and years of attacks on Gaza”.
In a statement to The National, a spokesperson for SIGTRC said: “She has aired shocking views by comparing the worth of lives of those in the Middle East to Israelis, who she claims value life more, despite their torture and murders of thousands of innocents, including women and children.
“She has scoffed at the Palestinian right of return, despite a huge proportion of the population being violently displaced from their homes since 1948. If this is what she has said so freely in public, you have to wonder what she has said in private.”
The spokesperson added: “These racist views are unacceptable, especially during this horrific genocide and at a time when racism is on the rise.
“The Theatre Royal can not use the excuse that the play is non-political because it's still leading people to racism through the racist performer that they are platforming.”
Campaigners have claimed that ticket sales for Allegra in both Aberdeen and Glasgow have been “disastrous”, adding that they believe the “small number” of ticket sales is due to “Lipman’s repulsive views”.
They added that they are calling on people to oppose “platforming of racist views” to boycott the play.
“Join our picket this evening, just as Lipman picketed a Palestinian play in 2015, which depicted vicious murders by the IOF in Bethlehem,” the spokesperson added.
It comes after Police Scotland launched a probe into the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign after the group posted an image on its social media depicting the Jewish actress with devil horns and a pitchfork.
The image was shared as part of the group's petition to cancel Lipman's upcoming performance in Allegra at His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism charity said the depiction of the actress was a “longstanding antisemitic trope”.
They added: “It is shameful, but these sorts of Jew-baiting agitators are far past feeling shame at their actions.
“Discrimination against Jewish people has become normalised in the arts – it’s simply part of doing business as a Jewish creative in modern Britain”.
The Aberdeen Performing Arts said it was not affiliated with any political stance or cause.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said last month: “We have received a report which is being assessed.
“Officers are also liaising with partners and continue to proactively engage with the Jewish community.”
A spokesperson for The Theatre Royal said: "A planned protest during the presentation of Allegra took place at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow.
"As owners and operators of the venue Scottish Opera and ATG Entertainment are politically neutral organisations, presenting a variety of productions for audiences at the venue.
"We respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly which is protected by law. Our priority is ensuring the safety of our staff, audiences, and artists."
