Clementine Ford event at Malthouse Theatre moved over safety fears

An event hosted by writer and activist Clementine Ford at Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre has been relocated due to fears over patron safety.

Ford’s event, Love Sermon, was described on the Malthouse website as “a life-affirming exploration of love and the powerful ways it makes its home in our hearts.” It was scheduled to take place at the theatre’s outdoor stage at 6.30pm on Saturday night, the same night as the opening of a production of Yentl.

Writer, feminist and activist Clementine Ford.

Yentl is a Kadimah Yiddish Theatre production based on the short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, made famous by the 1983 film starring Barbra Streisand. It was performed as part of the Yiddish Festival in 2022 and received rave reviews, which prompted the Malthouse to bring it to a wider audience.

Ford has recently been the subject of media coverage due to her pro-Palestine views and involvement in the dissemination of a leaked WhatsApp chat group made up of Jewish Australians. It’s expected the audience for Ford’s show is more likely to be pro-Palestine, whereas a large portion of Yentl’s audience is expected to be Jewish and more likely to be pro-Israel.

In a statement, the Malthouse Theatre said: “On the advice of our risk consultant and law enforcement officials, we have addressed the growing concerns regarding our ability to guarantee the absolute safety of our audience in and around our temporary outdoor stage.

“We work in a dynamic environment, and the continuous review of these measures is imperative. Therefore, after careful deliberation and consultation with all parties involved, we have decided to move Clementine Ford’s performance of Love Sermon to Trades Hall.”

The decision to host Ford, and the timing of her event alongside the opening of Yentl, had been criticised by some pro-Israel figures. The Malthouse Theatre did not expand on what the safety concerns specifically related to and said they would not be providing further comment.

A spokesperson for Victoria Police told this masthead that “police provide security advice ahead of every public event, as we have done here. We never tell organisers to cancel events and that applies in this case. If organisers had decided to proceed we would have provided members. It’s wholly and solely the decision of organisers.

“Victoria Police’s role was to provide intelligence about safety and any risks associated with the planned events.”

Ford has been contacted for comment.

Debbie Dadon, the chair of the Besen Family Foundation, resigned from the Malthouse board last week over the issue. In a statement, the Besen Family Foundation said: “Debbie Dadon confirms she has made the hard decision to step down from the board of the Malthouse Theatre. This is a particularly difficult time for Debbie and her family and for this reason, Debbie will not be making any further comment.”

Ford describes herself as “100 per cent, unequivocally pro-Palestine” and has drawn the ire of some pro-Israel and Jewish groups for helping disseminate the contents and membership of a WhatsApp group made up of Jewish Australians. Ford has been accused of “doxxing” members of the group, but she rejects that claim, arguing it “was leaked by a whistleblower, one of the group chat’s own members”.

Ford’s event remains listed on the Malthouse’s website, with a note that its location has been moved.

As one of the curators of the All About Women event at the Sydney Opera House next week, Ford will appear in a show based on her latest book, I Don’t: The Case Against Marriage on March 10, called Play The Girl.

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