A Jewish comedian has been banned by an Edinburgh Fringe venue after they attended a vigil for the victims of the October 7 attacks.
Philip Simon has been denied access to the Banshee Labyrinth pub, due to alleged "rhetoric and symbology" linked to Israel.
One reason cited by the venue for cancelling his show was due to attendance at a vigil for the Hamas terror attacks, which claimed the lives of over 1,200 people.
Banshee Labyrinth told Simon: "Our management had a duty of care to our customers and staff members to review the political statements and opinions expressed by the performer.
Simon released a statement online
"We feel it is inappropriate for us to provide a platform for performers whose views and actions align with the rhetoric and symbology of groups associated with humanitarian violations."
Simon said the only opinion he expressed on the conflict in Gaza was the push for peace and the hostages to be freed.
Simon said: "I am still processing the concept that in 2025 I can be cancelled just for being Jewish.
"In the meantime, I will still be at the Fringe for my one remaining children's show and continue to investigate possible alternative venues for both of my cancelled shows."
The pub explained that it came to the conclusion to ban Simon after going through his social media pages.
Banshee Labyrinth told The Telegraph: "We routinely screen bands and performers for affiliations to, and statements that advocate for, discriminatory groups.
"We have hosted Philip in previous years and only thought we should have a look at his pages to see what was going on because of what happened with [a related row at] the neighbouring venue.
"If we hadn't found anything of concern, he would obviously still be performing with us."
Fellow comedian Rachel Creeger (right), pictured alongside Simon, has also been banned in the past
The alleged concerns came from Simon sharing pictures of the vigil, including messages on his X account reading: "Stand up to terror" and "bring home the hostages".
The venue added its decision to cancel the show came after a row with a nearby site, Whistlebinkies, which had also cancelled shows by Simon with fellow comedian Rachel Creeger.
Bar staff claim they felt "unsafe" at the performer's gigs, leading to the cancellations.
Creeger said: "Sadly, this is part of an ongoing problem faced by Jewish performers in this country. We are being cancelled and often silently boycotted."