Terrifying footage captured the moment a pro-Palestine activist was threatened with a broken glass after interrupting a singer’s concert.
n performer Deborah Conway’s concert at the Playhouse Theatre in Hobart on Saturday night was interrupted at least three times by pro-Palestinian protesters.
The Jewish singer-songrwriter has previously made comments in support of Israel’s military action in Gaza which led to protests calling for her shows to be cancelled.
Her performance was first interrupted by a man who unfurled the Palestinian flag and yelled at the singer asking if she condemns Israel’s actions towards innocent civilians and children, before he was escorted out of the theatre by security.
Footage captured by a protester captured the dramatic moment another activist was threatened by an audience member with the broken stem of a wine glass.
The female protester stood up near the stage and interrupted the concert by asking Conway if she condemned Israel’s actions.
A female audience member confronted the protester by violently smashing a wine glass on the stage and holding its broken stem towards her face.
The protester backed away towards the wall but was followed by the patron as another audience member tried to hold her back.
‘You’re f***ing hurting me,’ the protestor yelled as security escorted her out of the theatre.
Patrons were also heard heckling the protesters every time they interrupted the concert.
On all occasions when the concert was interrupted, Conway left the stage and the theatre lights turned on until the protesters were removed.
Prior to the concert, protesters requested the theatre cancel Conway’s performance, with about 20 gathering outside the doors and handing leaflets to the attendees.
The leaflets included comments Conway made in an interview with ABC Radio National presenter Patricia Karvelas late last year.
Karvelas asked the singer about Israel’s military action in Gaza and the disproportionate impact it was having on innocent civilians and children.
‘Well, depends on what you call kids,’ Conway responded.
‘But you see young people — 16, 17-year-old young boys — toting rifles, and unfortunately Hamas recruits boys that are not men yet.
‘There are a lot of young people dying but I believe the responsibility for that lies pretty squarely with Hamas.’
Since her comments, 500 writers and art workers penned an open letter to the Perth Festival in opposition to their decision to include Conway in its program.
The Hobart pro-Palestinian protest group on Monday condemned the violent action’s of the patron and vowed to continue its protests.
‘We are committed to demonstrating our ongoing solidarity with Palestinians and all those who face colonial violence,’ the group’s statement read.
‘Ours is a strength founded in courage and conviction, not complacency or shards of glass.’
In a statement on Monday, Conway and her husband and collaborator, Willy Zygier, praised the patron’s for their bravery in standing up against the protesters but said the violence was ‘unhelpful’.
‘We applaud their bravery for their attempts to protest the protesters. Except with the caveat that going down the path of violence is unhelpful to say the least,’ the statement read.
The pair added the protesters ‘chose a few words from a long interview’ and twisted them before thanking police, security and staff for their response.
‘We also say people shouldn’t be harassed in their workplace for their views,’ the statement reads.
‘We would not suggest that pro-Palestinians are hassled in their daily business, it just brings terrible rancour to the discussion which is rancorous enough.’
The pair said they sympathised with the audience, who ‘got a whole lot more in their evening’s entertainment than they bargained for (& paid for)’.
Tasmania Police were not called to the venue but were aware of a disturbance during the show that involved two patrons but no formal complaint was made.