Jewish actor denounces Zurich’s Neumarkt Theater
Published: Sunday, Jun 9th 2024, 11:41
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The Jewish Swiss-Israeli actor Yan Balistoy has filed a criminal complaint against the management of Zurich's Neumarkt Theater. He accuses them of violating the anti-racism penal code because they did not allow him to perform with a Lebanese actress.
The criminal complaint filed with the Zurich-Limmat public prosecutor's office is directed against the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the three directors and the in-house dramaturge of the renowned Zurich Theaterhaus. This was announced on Sunday by the actor's media advisor, Sacha Wigdorovits, on behalf of Balistoy.
The theater management had acted on a protest by a Lebanese actress. Balistoy had been excluded from performances in which this actress had appeared on stage. "In doing so, they publicly implemented the discriminatory and anti-Semitic law of the terrorist militia Hezbollah on stage at Theater Neumarkt," the press release stated.
Those responsible for the theater justified the ban by stating that a Lebanese boycott law prohibits its own citizens from having contact with Israeli Jewish people. The ban on interaction was intended to prevent the safety of the Lebanese actress or her family living in Lebanon from being jeopardized.
"Violation of the Federal Constitution"
"Applying the anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic boycott law in force in Lebanon in Switzerland violates the Swiss Federal Constitution," wrote Balistoy's media advisor. This prohibits discriminating against people because of their origin, religion or gender.
In addition, the theater's management has made its decision to use Balistoy in only half of all plays public. A corresponding Instagram post was subsequently quoted by numerous Swiss media outlets. Balistoy's criminal complaint therefore also includes the accusation of defamation.
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