Pro-Palestinian protest at children’s theater performance triggers backlash

A pro-Palestinian protest that happened before a children’s theatre show in London has sparked anger among parents who say their children have been left very frightened by the action.

Families with Toddlers were about to settle down at the New Wimbledon Theatre to enjoy the performance when members of the group “Parents for Palestine” stormed the venue.

The unexpected interruption caused the children to “wail and cry” while protesters ran onto the stage and unfurled a banner with their concerns.

Parents present have now sharply criticized the group, which was escorted out of the theater, for protesting in an inappropriate place.

The mother of an autistic child said the protest had a particularly negative impact on her daughter during what should have been a happy experience.

The parent, identified only as Rose, MailOnline, said: “We’re sitting there getting ready for the show and then this woman comes with a mask on her face and starts singing.

“And then I see an insect banner fall from the roof of the theater, and from then on everything is just messed up.

“Parents are standing next to me with their children and their children are crying their eyes out because it is so scary.”

The concerned parent, who admitted to having anxiety attacks during the protest, added: “You can protest peacefully, but that’s not how it works. Why would you do that at a children’s show?”

“The children don’t need to know this, this is not the right time.”

Rose said the performance went ahead despite the initial interruption.

“Two wrongs do not make a right. What is happening in Palestine is very sad, but you don’t do something like that in a children’s show,” she said.

“They came here to upset children, and for what? They will not change anything because the children do not understand.”

According to the parent, theatergoers contacted the police about the protest and reported that there was a “large police presence” outside the building.

Parents for Palestine told The Independent: “This was a brief and peaceful protest by parents, carers and their children calling on the Science Museum to terminate its sponsorship agreement with Adani Green Energy, a subsidiary of the Adani Group.”

They then accused the group of supplying weapons to Israel.

The Metropolitan Police said The Independent: “Police were called to a small protest on Broadway, SW19, at around 4.35pm on Tuesday 6 August.

“Officers were on site. The group dispersed about 30 minutes later. There were no arrests.”

One Twitter/X user wrote: “I thought it was an Israeli theater group but it is not. If it looks like what it looks like then it must be stopped immediately – we cannot allow this to happen.”

The New Wimbledon Theatre told The Independent: “Shortly before yesterday’s performance of ‘Science Museum: The Live Stage Show’ at the New Wimbledon Theatre, several ticket holders staged a non-violent protest which resulted in disruption and a delay to the start of the show.

“The police were present throughout the performance and remained there without any further incidents. We would like to thank the theatre’s reception team and police for their calm professionalism and the rest of the audience for their patience and understanding.”

The Independent has contacted the Science Museum and the Adani Group for comment.

The protest takes place after a separate pro-Palestinian protest that took place in advance of a London performance of Fiddler on the Roof on Monday.

It also sparked anger among theatergoers, who called the actions of protesters in a nearby cafe anti-Semitic because the play was about Jewish cultural traditions and not about Israel.