Douglas Murray event forced to move after staff ‘received threats’
▶ A WEST End theatre cancelled an event with the writer Douglas Murray following a “campaign of intimidation” by anti-Israel protesters.
Last Sunday’s fundraiser for an Israeli university switched venues after the email addresses of the theatre’s staff were reportedly leaked by an employee.
Murray has emerged as one of the most foremost pro-Israel voice in the media since October 7.
Apollo Theatre, owned by Nimax Theatres, was supposed to host the conversation between Murray and actress Louisa Clein, which was in aid of students at Technion serving in the IDF – but Nimax pulled out hours before it was due to start.
Initially, the theatre told organisers that it did not have enough staff for the Sunday evening shift after employees objected to the fundraiser.
Eventually, Nimax assembled enough staff but, according to organisers, the names of the employees were shared with protesters outside the theatre who sent them threatening emails.
Alan Aziz, the chief executive of Technion UK, told the Jewish News that a person at the theatre distributed the email addresses of the Apollo employees to someone outside the organisation and “all of them received threatening emails and told the management that they no longer wanted to work”.
St John’s Wood United Synagogue stepped at the last minute to host Murray and Clein, and more than 900 people attended.
Despite the venue switch, protesters shouted outside the Apollo: “The IDF are baby killers and genocide enablers”.
Murray said: “I resent the fact that whenever there is an event about Israel it must be in synagogues because they are the only places that can be made safe.”
A spokesperson for Nimax said: “The event on Sunday 4 February was cancelled on the advice of Nimax’s security company who advised that the risk was too high to proceed.
The safety of the staff, attendees and building is always paramount.”
Theatre pulled out hours before it was due to start