Shadow home secretary calls for DJ Haram to be banned from UK after Australia antisemitism probe
EXCLUSIVE: Chris Philp urges Home Office action as artist set for London and Birmingham shows this month
A senior Conservative MP has called for an American DJ at the centre of an antisemitism row in Australia to be barred from entering the UK, as pressure mounts ahead of her scheduled performances this month.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the government should intervene to prevent Zubeyda Muzeyyen – who performs as DJ Haram – from appearing at venues in London and Birmingham.
Muzeyyen is due to play at Phonox in London and at the Supersonic Festival in Birmingham, weeks after a controversial speech at the Sydney Biennale prompted a police investigation in New South Wales.
In an exclusive statement, Philp said: “The last thing this country needs is a visit from yet another international musician embroiled in allegations of antisemitism and promoting terrorism.
“As the Government continues to struggle to get a grip on the relentless wave of anti-Jewish racism and Islamist extremism in the UK, it is patently not conducive to the public good for Zubeyda Muzeyyen (DJ Haram) to perform here. The Home Secretary needs to get a grip and ban her.”
His intervention follows the government’s recent decision to refuse entry to Kanye West, citing the same “not conducive to the public good” threshold – a comparison now likely to intensify scrutiny of Muzeyyen’s planned visit.
The artist is under investigation by New South Wales Police over remarks made during a speech at the opening of the Sydney Biennale on 13 March, in which she referenced “resistance” and “martyrs” and criticised what she described as “art washing the genocide”.
The comments prompted a complaint from the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, which warned that such language can echo narratives linked to proscribed terrorist organisations and risk fuelling hostility towards Jewish communities.
Police have confirmed they are assessing whether the remarks breach racial hatred laws or meet the threshold for offences relating to advocating terrorism.
A spokesperson for the Jewish Leadership Council previously said: “Zubeyda Muzeyyen has repeatedly engaged in rhetoric that appears to support acts of terror carried out against Israelis, alongside the repetition of some of the oldest and most dangerous antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories. This goes far beyond legitimate political criticism.
“The Jewish community in Britain knows all too well where such language can lead. There are serious questions for the venues in London and Birmingham which are hosting her. It is also open to the Home Secretary to consider whether her entry into the UK would be conducive to the public good.”
In Australia, Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, also criticised the performance and its platform, saying: “What is surprising is that the Biennale is happy to platform such lame antics. It is no wonder donors, patrons, and sponsors are deserting cultural institutions and the arts are now desperately underfunded.”
Jewish News has contacted the Home Office, Phonox and Supersonic Festival for comment.
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