A Scottish theatre has cancelled a show by a veteran comedian at the centre of an antisemitism row over his show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Reginald D Hunter was due to perform at Eastwood Park Theatre in East Renfrewshire next month, but the cultural trust that runs the arts centre has said that the show will no longer go ahead in light of his “controversial comments.” It has been reported that during his set at the Assembly George Square Studios venue two Israeli audience members objected to a routine by the comedian, in which he joked that an abusive wife complaining about being abused herself was "like being married to Israel .
” Police Scotland said it had been “made aware of a hate incident,” but having “fully reviewed” all the information gathered, a spokeswoman for the force said “no crime was established.” In the wake of the incident, Mr Hunter did not apologise for any of the content in his Fluffy Fluffy Beavers show, but posted a statement on X about the “unfortunate incident.” “As a comedian, I do push boundaries in creating humour, it’s part of my job,” the 55 year-old explained.
“This inevitably creates divided opinions but I am staunchly anti-war and anti-bully. I regret any stress caused to the audience and venue staff members.” Mr Hunter, a regular fixture on British television, is playing a series of dates next month as part of a UK tour, and Assembly George Square Studios said it had no plans to cancel any of his gigs.
But amid the backlash to his Fringe show, East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure said his appearance at Eastwood Park Theatre had been cancelled. A spokesman for the arm's-length trust said: “We have taken the decision to cancel Eastwood Park Theatre's scheduled show featuring Reginald D Hunter due to controversial comments made during a recent performance. “We defend the freedom of expression of artists and understand that our audiences expect to extend some latitude to many acts, including alternative comedy, which may be controversial in places.
However, we have a commitment to our community, and to our values of diversity and inclusion, which we take seriously. He added: “All customers who have purchased tickets for this show will receive a full refund.” The Campaign Against Antisemitism said on social media that Mr Hunter’s comments were “extremely concerning" and that comedians should “have a responsibility to their audience.
” The group said the two audience members were Jewish Israelis and were “hounded” from the show by the audience, adding: “We have seen this before in recent months, and venues must stand extremely firm against this kind of behaviour.” BBC journalist, James Cheyne, who attended Mr Hunter’s show in Edinburgh, said the joke in question was “just one of many” elements in the show which people might have taken offence at. “It was in many ways common fare for a late night comedy gig at the Edinburgh Fringe, but the controversy his comments have caused was ever present in the room too.
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