LONDON 

A fan of multi-award-winning English actor, comedian, and singer Peter Kay was barred from entering his stand-up show at London’s O2 Arena for wearing a shirt emblazoned with the message "Free Gaza."

According to British media, the incident occurred on August 10 when venue staff informed the unidentified man and his partner that the shirt could potentially "cause danger and disruption" during the performance.

The couple, who had booked their tickets over two years ago, were shocked by the decision.

Security personnel at the venue reportedly told the man that he would not be allowed entry unless he changed his shirt and that simply turning it inside out was not an option.

Staff directed him to a merchandise shop and other outlets within the O2 Arena to purchase alternative clothing. However, they insisted that if he wished to attend the show, he would have to surrender the "Free Gaza" shirt entirely.

The exchange was captured on video and shared on TikTok, where the man’s partner, who has a North American accent, can be heard expressing disbelief at the situation.

"Wowza, that’s mental. He has to go and buy a t-shirt?" she is heard saying. In response to the guard’s decision, she added: "You do realize there is a genocide going on?"

The security guard remained unmoved by her comments.

The O2 Arena has since issued a statement acknowledging the incident, admitting that they "got it wrong" and expressing regret over the decision.

"We are a diverse and inclusive venue, as is our fanbase, and we sincerely apologise for any offence and upset this incident may have caused. On any given night we host up to 20,000 people and we try to make the best decisions we can, with the information available, in a timely fashion. We don’t get every decision right, all of the time, and on this occasion we made a judgement call and got it wrong. For that, we apologize."

Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in the besieged enclave and displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million people, while also generating famine-like conditions and spread of disease.

It is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in Rafah, which began in May.