British comedian and actress Dawn French has issued a public apology after a social media video she posted about the conflict in Gaza and Israel drew widespread criticism.
The 67-year-old Vicar of Dibley star shared the video on X (formerly Twitter), using a baby-like voice to deliver a satirical monologue critiquing what she described as the justifications used by those supporting Israel’s continued military campaign in Gaza.
‘Complicated, no, but nuanced. But [the] bottom line is no,’ she says in the video, before launching into a series of exaggerated, childlike impressions mimicking the arguments of some supporters of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
‘Yeah, but you know they did a bad thing to us… and we want that land… and we have history… Those people aren’t really even people, are they?’ Each segment is followed by French returning to her natural voice to declare: ‘No.’
The video, which has since been deleted, quickly amassed over 4.7million views and sparked a fierce backlash among some.
Critics accused French of trivialising the October 7 Hamas attacks, in which over 1,200 Israelis were killed and an estimated 250 taken hostage. Some viewers said her tone appeared to mock victims rather than leaders.
In response to the outcry, French posted a lengthy apology on Instagram on Saturday, acknowledging that her attempt at satire had fallen short of the mark.
‘I clumsily used a mocking tone,’ she wrote. ‘My intention was NEVER to mock, or dismiss, or diminish the horror of what happened on 7 October 2023 and what continues to unfold from that brutal, unthinkable, unforgivable savage [attack].’
French said her real aim had been to ‘mock and point the finger of shame at the behaviour of the cruel leaders on ALL sides of this attricious [sic] war,’ but admitted that her message had come across as one-sided.
‘I’m particularly sorry that my disgust at Hamas didn’t figure. It appeared one-sided and that is wrong,’ she said.
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She added that she had been motivated by a growing sense of helplessness and a desire to speak out against the escalating humanitarian crisis, particularly the suffering of children in Gaza.
‘The images of starving and wounded children have haunted me day and night,’ she wrote. ‘History has taught us never to stand by and allow this kind of inhumane violence to be wrought on anyone, especially innocent children.’
‘I hope you will understand my intention was not to offend, but clearly I have. For which I am sorry and I have removed the video.’
French’s apology has prompted mixed responses online, with some praising her for addressing the issue directly and others continuing to criticise the original post.
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After more than 15 months of Israel’s war on Palestine, a ceasefire deal agreed between Israel and Hamas came into effect on January 19, but Israel later launched multiple air strikes, effectively ending the ceasefire.
The updated death toll from Israel’s war on Palestine has reached 61,709 Palestinians since the October 7 attack, having added thousands who are missing and now presumed dead.
However, many agree the toll could be as high as 100,000+, with a majority of these deaths being Palestinian civilians.
The British Red Cross estimates that 470,000 people in Gaza face starvation (22% of the population) as Israel continues to restrict aid.
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