Helen Mirren, 80, acosted and branded ‘evil Zionist b****’ by Palestine activist on streets of London
Dame Helen Mirren was subjected to verbal abuse by a pro-Palestine activist while walking through Tower Hill in London with her husband, film director Taylor Hackford.
Footage shared online by an anonymous account named Anti-Fascist Action UK captures the 80-year-old Oscar winner initially responding warmly to the approaching stranger, smiling and enquiring about his wellbeing.
The encounter swiftly turned hostile as the man launched into an aggressive verbal attack regarding her support for Israel.
“And there is Helen Mirren the avowed Zionist. You said Israel should last forever because of the Holocaust. And she was very happy the Palestinians houses were gone,” he declared, before calling her an “evil Zionist b****” and directing abuse at her 81-year-old husband.
The actress was left stunned when the pro-Palestine stranger approached her
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Mr Hackford intervened, repeatedly telling the man to leave them alone.
The Thursday Murder Club star has maintained a decades-long connection with Israel, dating back to 1967 when she travelled to the country shortly after the Six-Day War.
During that visit, she volunteered at Kibbutz HaOn near the Sea of Galilee and explored the nation by hitchhiking.
On screen, she has brought several prominent Jewish figures to life, including Maria Altmann in Woman in Gold and Israel’s sole female prime minister, Golda Meir, in the 2023 biographical film Golda.
While promoting that production, she told Israel’s Channel 12: “I believe in Israel, in the existence of Israel, and I believe Israel has to go forward into the future, for the rest of eternity. I believe in Israel because of the Holocaust.”
She acknowledged that some had urged her against accepting the Meir role given Israel’s international standing, but defended her choice, stating: “I’ve met such extraordinary people in Israel.”
The actress, who is not Jewish, added her name to an open letter last month supporting Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, joining fellow signatories Amy Schumer, Mila Kunis, Sharon Osbourne and Boy George.
She has consistently opposed cultural boycotts targeting the country, arguing that it would be wrong to abandon Israeli artists she has encountered.
“It is the artistic community that I believe will carry Israel forward,” she has said.
Despite her steadfast support for Israel’s existence, Dame Helen has not shied away from criticising its government, previously expressing disapproval of Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership style.
In 2023, she described mass protests against the prime minister as a “pivotal moment in Israeli history,” adding: “I’m personally very moved and excited when you see these huge demonstrations.”
The Campaign Against Antisemitism condemned the incident as “absolutely appalling” in a statement posted on X.
“We are now at a point where public figures can be screamed at and abused simply for being perceived as being sympathetic to the world’s only Jewish state or unwilling to conform to an ideological litmus test,” the charity stated.
It characterised the behaviour as “intimidation, mob behaviour and extremism masquerading as moral virtue” rather than legitimate activism.
The harassment of Ms Mirren follows a similar incident earlier this year involving comedian Matt Lucas, who was confronted by a pro-Palestinian activist on the London Underground.
The activist pursued and filmed Mr Lucas while shouting “Free Palestine” and labelling him a “Zionist”.
GB News has contacted Ms Mirren’s representatives for comment.
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