John Cleese cancels "Cambridge Union" appearance after announcing a "black list"

The famous British debate club "Cambridge Union" ("Defending Free Debate") had announced a list of those who would never be invited again. Monty Python comedian John Cleese put himself on this list "as a precaution".

A very effective advertising scandal before the former Monty Python comedian John Cleese starts his new show: The president of the historic student debating club Cambridge Union, Keir Bradwell, had announced in an email that he would no longer invite a debate participant who had attracted attention in the circle of debate due to provocative, Hitler-inspired and disparaging hate speech about "degenerate art." The guest, art historian Andrew Graham Dixon, has since apologized for his performance, which was merely aimed at "showing the profoundly evil nature of Hitler and his regime".

Nevertheless, Bradwell had announced that in future he would create a "black list" of such speakers who would never be invited again and which should also be shared with other debating clubs. The Cambridge Union claims to have 70,000 members worldwide and has existed for around 200 years.

Keir Bradwell, Cambridge Union woke president who created a blacklist of speakers.

John Cleese responded to this news by canceling his performance in Cambridge (where he studied himself), which was planned for Friday, on the grounds that "he is now blacklisting himself as a precaution before someone else does that". The 83-year-old cabaret artist had imitated the dictator himself during his time with the satirical troupe “Monty Python” and is now hoping that the students will find another venue for the conversation with him where “woke” rules would not be applied."

The news was made more embarrassing for Bradwell when he had to admit that he was "quite drunk" during the criticized performance and that he hadn't stopped the Hitler parody as chairman of the club earlier out of shyness towards the audience .

Bradwell has meanwhile, according to The Telegraph, withdrawn his plan under the impression of bitter criticism that he probably wanted to create “a Stalinist list”.

Source: Tichys Einblick

Photo: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images