Globe Theatre: Israeli play goes on despite protests

Pro-Palestinian activists have disrupted the UK debut of Israel's Habima theatre company in London.

Around 15 people were carried or led out of Shakespeare's Globe theatre after unfurling banners or Palestinian flags. One man was arrested.
Before the performance of The Merchant of Venice, Globe artistic director Dominic Dromgoole asked the audience to stay calm in the event of disturbances.
The actual performance carried on despite the disruptions.
The protests came after a group of stage figures including Mark Rylance, Mike Leigh and Emma Thompson called for the Globe to boycott the company over its performances in Israeli settlements in the West Bank
involvement with illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory".
Shakespeare's Globe said its current international festival was "a celebration of languages and not… a celebration of nations and states".
It added that "people meeting and talking and exchanging views is preferable to isolation and silence".
Security was stepped up ahead of Monday's show, with airport-style metal detectors in the foyer and audience members' bags searched.
There were small-scale demonstrations outside the Globe by both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups.
As the performance was about to begin on the open-air stage, Dromgoole addressed the audience and joked about the unusual security arrangements.
"If there are disturbances, let's be perfectly calm," he went on. "Don't get angry.
"You're not watching politicians or policy-makers. You are watching artists who are here to tell a story."