The Banshee Labyrinth in Edinburgh has admitted it discriminated against Jewish comedian Philip Simon by canceling his show after scrolling through his social media like a particularly vindictive parent. The venue, which presumably considers itself progressive enough to have a mission statement about inclusivity, decided that whatever it found on his feed was disqualifying. Then a court got involved and suddenly the venue discovered that discrimination is, in fact, illegal.
Simon’s crime was existing online while Jewish during the Edinburgh Fringe. The venue assessed his social media — a phrase that now means “someone read his posts and got mad” — and determined he was unsuitable. No specifics were provided because there apparently weren’t any. Just vibes. Bad vibes.
How does a venue committed to diversity accidentally become the thing that discriminates against people for their identity? By treating social media audits as due diligence and confusing moral panic with moral clarity.
The Banshee Labyrinth has now admitted wrongdoing, which is what happens when you realize a court will make you explain your vibe-based hiring decisions under oath. The venue’s reversal came not from internal reflection but from external pressure — the only thing that actually moves these institutions. They weren’t wrong because they learned something. They were wrong because they got caught and couldn’t afford the legal fees.
Cancel culture’s great trick was convincing venues that scrutinizing comedians’ old tweets was progressive gatekeeping rather than just gatekeeping. The Banshee Labyrinth fell for it completely. Now it gets to explain to a judge why checking someone’s social media for wrongthink is totally different from discrimination.