Arts world abandoned Behzti
The actor Madhav Sharma, speaking at the conference against censorship held by Equity, has claimed that the arts establishment disgraced itself when it failed to support Behzti. The play was forced to close by violent Sikh protestors in December 2004.
Sharma, who was to perform in the play, said:
Behzti was a disgrace to the arts establishment, who didn’t support the fact that the performance should have continued. I understand why Birmingham Rep pulled it but I think it was cowardly of them to do so. I think it was appalling that the police said they couldn’t police 200 militant Sikhs.
The truth is when it happened Equity didn’t support us, we didn’t have the arts council support us. Really there was no support at all. Therefore bullying was allowed to succeed over law and order.
Speakers called for an emergency group to be founded which would offer proper support in the event of other situations like Behzti or Jerry Springer: The Opera arising.
(From The Stage)
I thought at the time that the police inaction was disgusting. Everyone’s afraid of the PC brigade (and I don’t mean ‘police constable’) at the moment, it seems. Threaten someone with a brown skin or a turban and it’s like kicking Lassie.
Andy A, would you like to give further examples of: “Threaten someone with a brown skin or a turban and it’s like kicking Lassie”?
Lapsing into a racist discourse and extrapolating such a conclusion from a single incident, as egregious as it was, is the sign of a bigot.