Overview

• Summerhall announced it will no longer invite Kate Forbes to future Fringe events, citing concerns for the safety and wellbeing of artists and staff after reports that some were terrified by her presence
• The venue clarified that Forbes is not barred from its building but said it will draft robust inclusion and wellbeing policies to prevent similar oversights
• Forbes condemned the decision as an attempt to cancel her and argued that any effort to silence politicians undermines democracy
• Senior SNP figures Shona Robison and Nicola Sturgeon publicly criticised the move and called for tolerance of differing views in political debate
• Parallel exclusions by the National Library of Scotland and Glasgow University Union highlight the broader tension between free speech and institutional safety in the gender-critical debate