Overview
- A performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Chichester Festival Theatre was cancelled after a cast member was chased and assaulted in Chichester city centre on October 13.
- Munya Chawawa has said the October 13 attack was only the most serious of repeated episodes of racism, xenophobia and homophobia the company faced during its six-week run.
- Chawawa and other cast members described street-level incidents including racial slurs aimed at BRIT School students, people being followed and called 'dirty', and shouted abuse in public.
- Sussex Police urged victims to report hate crimes, said officers are pursuing lines of enquiry and supporting victims, and local MP Jess Brown-Fuller called for a society-wide, cross-agency response.
- Local anti-racism and LGBTQ+ groups condemned the abuse and warned the incidents reflect broader hostile narratives toward migrants and minorities that could deter visitors and school groups from cultural events.