Comedian Josh Howie has said a venue cancelled his gig because they were “too scared to put on Jewish-themed standup event”.
Howie, who writes for the JC, said he was contacted by the venue’s promoter who said the Jewish owner feared that there would be repercussions for putting on the show, which had not yet been advertised.
He called the owner's decision to cancel “totally wrong. It's a mistake, always, to give into these people and to give into your own fear. This is not the time to retreat. This is the time to stand up. We are British, we are Jewish. We are proud of both of those elements. And the moment you start backing down you betray both of those ideals, and self-censorship can be the worst kind of censorship.”
Since October 7, Howie has seen many people try to get his gigs cancelled in a reaction to his social media posts in support of Israel. A week after the attack, a promoter for a gig warned him that people had been calling to say he should not be booked because of the “disgusting” things he says on X/ Twitter.
“I don't say anything controversial," Howie said. “All I do is call out the bull****. It was just me speaking up, and having the temerity to be a proud Jew, calling out the lies of these shills for a terrorist organisation - that's enough for me to deserve to be cancelled.”
After a standup show in Greenwich, Howie was told that three people had called the venue within five minutes of each other while he was on stage, suggesting a coordinated campaign to cancel him. However, he is thankful to the venues and promoters including Up the Creek, Covent Garden Comedy Club and Comedy Carnival who have ignored calls to call off his gigs. “I'm very grateful to these venues for standing strong against hatred and against antisemitism which is what I believe motivates people.”
Speaking about the cancellation, he said: “It's very sad that anybody, and certainly a Jewish person, would feel that they can't facilitate a Jewish evening for fear of repercussions.” He added that it's “tragic” because “being Jewish is so central to the medium of standup, but it’s also a loss to the plurality of our liberal democracy.”
Shortly before Howie received the message from the promoter cancelling the show, plans to have a Chanukiah in Havering were dropped due to “rising tensions” (a decision that was later reversed). “It's like, what is going on here?” said Howie. “These aren't huge, but they all add to Jewish cultural coexistence.”
“When you give in to fear, it's a slow death. You have to speak up for this stuff now more than ever, for Jewish life in this country. That's what we saw at the march – Jewish people and allies coming together and standing up and saying enough is enough. We are not leaving and we are proud of being here.”
