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TV actor who quit Maureen Lipman show over her pro-Israel views revealed to have ‘liked’ vile ‘Zio hag’ slur
Gerard McCarthy expresses 'regret' after 'inadvertently appearing to endorse antisemitic language'
The BBC actor who quit a London theatre show following the casting of Dame Maureen Lipman has endorsed a torrent of online abuse directed at the veteran Jewish performer, including the slur: “Lipman the zio hag can get in the bin.”
Gerard McCarthy, known for his roles in BBC dramas The Fall and Call The Midwife, had been due to appear with Dame Maureen, 80, in Right Before I Go at London’s Soho Theatre.
But he withdrew after she joined the show, which opens on Saturday, citing views she had publicly and repeatedly expressed regarding Israel and Palestine.
The Daily Mail reports that McCarthy, 45, subsequently liked a string of abusive comments posted beneath his announcement on Instagram.
Among them was one which read: “Lipman the zio hag can get in the bin.”
Another, which praised him as “a man of absolute principle,” also warned: “Zionists will soon have nowhere to hide.”
McCarthy, who was a regular on Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, also liked a message that read: “That woman is an odious ghoul. You saved yourself a tiring battle with your conscience every time you would have stepped into the room with her.”
Other comments he endorsed included: “I would cross the street if I saw her. Vile bigot,” and described Dame Maureen as “a horrid f****** witch,” adding: “It speaks volumes about the morally bankrupt scumbags behind this decision that they’re willing to work with her.”
“Zio,” an abbreviation of Zionist, is widely recognised by Jewish organisations as an anti-Semitic slur.
When approached by the Daily Mail, McCarthy said he regretted having “inadvertently” endorsed “antisemitic language or personal abuse directed at Dame Maureen Lipman.”
He said: “I do not endorse antisemitic language or personal abuse directed at Dame Maureen Lipman, and regret having inadvertently appeared to do so by liking a number of comments among the hundreds posted beneath my statement.”
“My likes were intended as acknowledgements of support for my decision to withdraw, rather than endorsements of every word used in those comments. Having had the specific language brought to my attention, I have removed those likes.”
“My position remains the one set out in my original statement: my decision concerned views publicly expressed by one individual regarding Israel and Palestine. It was not about her Jewish identity, and I am against antisemitism.”
Announcing his withdrawal last week, McCarthy wrote on Instagram: “I was due to return to the production for its performance at Soho Theatre next Saturday. Yesterday morning, I made the decision to withdraw from that performance.”
“As my name and photograph are currently still being used to advertise the show, I wanted to let anyone considering booking to see me that I will no longer be appearing.”
“Following the announcement that Dame Maureen Lipman would be joining the company, I privately explained that, because of views she has publicly and repeatedly expressed regarding Israel and Palestine, I did not feel comfortable personally promoting her involvement.”
“I did not ask for her casting to be reconsidered or expect anybody else to share my position. I simply chose not to use my own platform to promote someone whose political views are at odds with my own.”
The Northern Irish actor’s decision was applauded by several performers, including RuPaul’s Drag Race star Divina de Campo, 42, and comedian Luisa Omielan, 43.
Trans actress Iz Hesketh has become the second performer to pull out of the production, similarly citing Dame Maureen’s casting as the reason.
The Hollyoaks star, who won Best Newcomer at the 2024 Radio Times Awards, said: “I no longer feel the next stage of production aligns with my own personal values and beliefs.”
Dame Maureen, one of Britain’s most prominent Jewish performers, has repeatedly faced protests and demands for her appearances to be cancelled because of her outspoken defence of Israel.
She said that McCarthy did not attempt to contact her before announcing that he was withdrawing from Right Before I Go.
She told The Times: “I am asking for him to have the courage to face me and tell me what he thinks it is I should do, or think, or say.”
“I would like to reassure him that I will not be arriving with a star of David on my forehead, nor am I trying to argue him out of his point of view.”
“He has to wake up and smell the grass. I have worked with actors for 60 years who often don’t share my politics. I don’t ask them, and they don’t ask me.”
She said that if McCarthy did not want to work with her, “then fair enough.” She added: “But if he won’t meet with me, then he’s a coward.”
Right Before I Go, written by Golden Girls and Gilmore Girls writer Stan Zimmerman, uses material drawn from genuine suicide notes to explore the experiences of military veterans, bullied young people, members of the LGBTQ+ community and survivors of suicide attempts.
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