Two Jewish comedians have Edinburgh Fringe shows axed over 'safety concerns'
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND, AUG 2 – Venues cited staff safety and conflicting political views amid Israel-Palestine tensions for cancelling two Jewish comedians' shows at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, highlighting rising antisemitism.
- On July 18, 2025, Edinburgh Fringe Festival venues cancelled shows by Rachel Creeger and Philip Simon over 'unsafe' staff concerns, despite police offers of extra supervision.
- Amid security fears, venues highlighted political and safety issues, citing `staff security` at Whistlebinkies and political conflicts at Banshee Labyrinth over Simon’s views on Palestine.
- Simon said he was stunned to be cancelled just for being Jewish, while Creeger emphasized that `we depend on performing for our livelihoods` after the cancellations.
- Critics say this reflects normalization of antisemitism in the UK, with Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharan Haskel criticizing the cancellations.
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Edinburgh Fringe is becoming a Jew-free zone
Is the Edinburgh Fringe a Judenfrei zone now? With just a week to go before the Fringe kicks off, Jewish comedians are being unceremoniously cancelled. One venue has allegedly cited ‘safety concerns’ from staff, saying the extra muscle to deal with the threats to Jewish acts made them feel more unsafe. So instead of protecting
·London, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources13
Leaning Left1Leaning Right6Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Right
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Right
67% Right
11%
C 22%
R 67%
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