British police and security officials are investigating a series of violent threats targeting the US-based Shen Yun Performing Arts troupe, including an email warning that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer would be shot if a show went ahead.

Shen Yun, which tours globally with classical Chinese dance and music, has long been a lightning rod for the Chinese Communist Party. The company presents pre-communist Chinese culture and is affiliated with Falun Gong, a spiritual movement outlawed and heavily persecuted in China. Beijing denounces both Falun Gong and Shen Yun as hostile to the regime, while the troupe insists it is a cultural and artistic enterprise.

During its recent UK tour, organisers say they received multiple threats. In Oxford, an email written in Chinese warned of a “surprise terrorist attack” if the performance proceeded. In Birmingham, a separate message in English demanded the cancellation of the show, adding: “Cancel the Shen Yun performance, or British prime minister Keir Starmer will be shot from a distance!”

Other venues have reported bomb threats and warnings that audiences would be gunned down. A theatre in Northampton was told explosives had been planted and would be detonated if the curtain rose. A similar message was sent to a venue in Woking. All threats were reported to police, and searches found no devices.

Leeshai Lemish, a long-time master of ceremonies with Shen Yun, said the troupe has logged more than 150 threat incidents worldwide over nearly two decades. He described a pattern of hoaxes, harassment and sabotage, including slashed tyres and sexual threats against female performers, forcing the company to travel with extensive private security.

Shen Yun and allied human rights groups argue that the campaign is orchestrated by the Chinese state to silence a high-profile critic of the CCP’s human rights record. A Canadian inquiry into foreign interference concluded that Chinese diplomats and state-linked actors had repeatedly sought to disrupt Shen Yun performances in multiple countries, describing the effort as a coordinated global operation.

In Britain, Thames Valley Police confirmed it had received a bomb threat linked to a Shen Yun show and referred the matter to counter-terrorism specialists, who judged there was no credible danger but kept inquiries open. The Home Office has stressed that any attempt by a foreign power to intimidate people on UK soil is treated as a national security issue.

Despite the threats, Shen Yun has continued to perform to full houses, vowing not to bow to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party or its proxies.