Celebrated director Nicholas Hytner, the former director of the National Theatre, has come to the defence of Dame Maureen Lipman amid concerns for her safety as she has been repeatedly targeted by pro-Palestine activists.
Hytner, who is Jewish, shared his worry over Lipman’s recent claims that she had to hire security for her recent tour after “bigots” in Aberdeen tried to get her performance of Allegra cancelled.
In one incident, a local branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign distributed a flier that featured an image of Lipman complete with a pitchfork and devil horns, labelling her “an open supporter of the settler-colonial, apartheid state of Israel, which continues to commit genocide, and is ethnically cleansing the West Bank”.
Lipman has previously been open about the struggles surrounding her safety as a Jewish woman, stating in June that she had been “forced by government inaction on antisemitism” to increase her personal protection.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Hytner said he was deeply troubled by Lipman’s comments, saying: “Maureen is passionate and unequivocal in what she says and it’s outrageous she feels unsafe as a result.”
He also referenced another Jewish actor, Tracy-Ann Oberman, who has spoken out against what she termed a “political purity test” for Jewish performers regarding their views on Israel.
“She’s right – nobody should have to explain themselves for wearing a Star of David,” he said, adding that such rhetoric “isn’t unique to theatre”.
“No student should have to hide a Star of David for fear of being asked where they stand [on Israel]. Nobody should have a right to demand an ideological purity test from anybody on any subject.
“It’s not unique to the Left, either – I’d say it’s happening on the Right just as much. It’s a function of the radicalisation of politics globally.”
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