![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/john-cleese.jpg\")
<\/p>\nJohn Cleese has sarcastically welcomed the calls for cancellation from a Muslim activist group after they targeted an upcoming show in Birmingham.<\/p>\n
Mr Cleese is currently touring the country with his Holy Grail tour, where he screens the 1975 classic to audiences before engaging in a Q&A. <\/p>\n
On Sunday, September 20, Mr Cleese is set to perform in Birmingham. However, local Muslim activists have called on organisers to put a stop to the gig.<\/p>\n
Taking to X, the group, named Deenified, accused Mr Cleese of “using your platform to attack Islam” as well as “spreading dangerous misinformation and creating hostility towards Muslims.”<\/p>\n
John Cleese has been a vocal critic of Islam<\/p>\n
| PA<\/p>\n
One of the activists added in a social media clip: “Let’s call out the hypocrisy: free speech has become a convenient shield for anti-Muslim hostility and vilification with no consequences.<\/p>\n
“Free speech in this country is applied selectively. It only seems to extend to the groups the elites deem acceptable to vilify in order to meet their agenda.”<\/p>\n
The activists ended with a plea to Birmingham Town Hall bosses to cancel the gig, claiming it “undermines public trust”.<\/p>\n
The backlash stems from Mr Cleese’s criticism of aspects of Islam on social media. The 86-year-old has come under fire for several claims, including that the Qur’an is \u201call about killing infidels\u201d.<\/p>\n
![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789910892_615_john-cleese.jpg\")
John Cleese has responded to calls from activists who want his show cancelled<\/p>\n
| PA<\/p>\n
He has also suggested that Muslim beliefs are \u201cattacking British values\u201d and said London is \u201cnot an English city anymore\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Deenified X account directed its campaign to Mr Cleese directly. “@JohnCleese You\u2019re not a comedian\u2014you\u2019re a hate preacher. Birmingham and its community outright reject your so-called ‘comedy.’ You aren’t welcome here,” they captioned the aforementioned clip.<\/p>\n
Responding to Free Speech Nation host Josh Howie on X after he’d reposted the clip while calling for British comedians to rally around Mr Cleese, the Monty Python star had his say.<\/p>\n
He fired back: “Let’s see what they get up to. Islamic folk are often very good fun, with great sense of humour, and especially of irony. <\/p>\n
Let’s see what they get up to<\/p>\n
Islamic folk are often very good fun, with great sense of humour, and especially of irony<\/p>\n
I look forward to an evening of laughter https:\/\/t.co\/jUsOIZecaO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 John Cleese (@JohnCleese) September 19, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n “I look forward to an evening of laughter,” he sarcastically signed off.<\/p>\n At the time of publication, the show is still scheduled to go ahead.<\/p>\n Mr Cleese kicked the tour off in Basingstoke earlier this month. Previewing the tour, he told BBC South East Today: “We show the film, but I don’t watch it as I’ve seen it over 7,000 times.<\/p>\n “So, I go round the corner and have dinner and then come back and answer questions from the audience.<\/p>\n GETTY<\/p>\n “It’s now rated as the 13th funniest film ever made and we had no idea what we were doing.<\/p>\n “The whole thing is a kind of minor miracle.<\/p>\n “It’s extraordinary. I come out and introduce the film for about 15 minutes and I tell them about the history and how we came to make it.”<\/p>\n Monty Python and the Holy Grail was the comedy troupe’s follow-up to their popular Flying Circus TV series. <\/p>\n They\u2019re coming for you @JohnCleese<\/a>. And they\u2019ll use terrible editing to get what they want. pic.twitter.com\/YLv6RzxuDz<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Monty](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/monty-python.jpg\")