CONTROVERSIAL columnist Katie Hopkins has reacted to a new musical using her name by sending a digital truck to protest outside Mold's Theatr Clwyd.

The Assassination of Katie Hopkins opened at the theatre last week with its writers Chris Bush and Matt Winkworth using Hopkins’s fictional murder at a public event to discuss issues around freedom of speech in a digital society.

At Thursday evening's press night, a large truck displaying the words on a digital screen: "The Assassination of Sadiq Khan" and "Why are death threats against Conservative women acceptable?" parked outside the theatre before the start of the performance and afterwards as theatre-goers left.

An article on Hopkins' website www.hopkinsworld.com said the truck, which cost £2,000 to hire, was " a public display of support for Katie and the work she does".

The article read: "This musical has been billed as an attempt to explore the politics of outrage in the age of social media, and has received huge attention from the liberal press and the state broadcaster, finding the musical’s title to be in jolly good taste and hugely entertaining.

"In fact, The Assassination of Katie Hopkins also benefits from state funding. Which is a curious way to spend taxpayers cash at a time when we can’t afford hospitals or police.

"Katie is the target of serious death threats. Two Jihadis were sent to prison in 2017 for plotting to behead her, having practised on a plastic dummy with a hunting knife. The Metropolitan Police confirmed a risk to life against Hopkins. So there are obvious questions to be asked.

"Is a play calling for The Assassination of Katie Hopkins acceptable? And given a confirmed risk to life, isn’t this rhetoric incitement to violence?

"Perhaps it is deemed ok because Katie is a white Conservative? What would the response be if the name was changed, to a female Labour MP? Or a Muslim mayor…?"

"Sometimes to challenge the narrative, we have to get amongst it ourselves, and arguably our digital truck is a blunt tool to achieve this end."

The article closes by asking readers to donate towards the £2,000 costs of the truck and fuel after it also drove around London.

First coming to notice in 2007 as a reality television contestant on The Apprentice, Hopkins later became a columnist for The Sun and the Daily Mail where her controversial views and opinions included calling for a "final solution" in the fight against Islamic terrorism and branding migrants as "cockroaches" and "feral humans".

The Assassination of Katie Hopkins is at Theatr Clwyd's Emlyn Williams Theatre from Friday April 20 – Saturday May 12 2018 at 7.45pm. Saturday matinees 2.45pm (no matinee on April 21) Wednesday matinee May 2 at 2.45pm; Thursday matinee May 10 at 2.45pm. Tickets from £10. Box Office 01352 701521 / online booking (no booking fees) www.theatrclwyd.com