Helen Mirren has consistently supported Israel and has been a vocal critic of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
By Shula Rosen
Police are treating the street harassment of Dame Helen Mirren by a pro-Palestinian activist in London as a hate crime after footage circulated online showing the actress and her husband, Taylor Hackford, being subjected to antisemitic abuse.
The Metropolitan Police said officers are examining video of the incident and are attempting to contact the victims to determine whether they wish to make a formal complaint.
“We are aware of a video circulating online showing a man and a woman being subjected to antisemitic verbal abuse in Tower Hill,” a spokesman said.
“Officers are currently reviewing the footage and making attempts to contact the victims to establish whether they would like to report the incident.”
“The Met continues to work hard to tackle hate crimes of all types and officers across London have made more than 90 hate crime arrests since the end of March,” the spokesman added.
According to The Telegraph, the confrontation involved Mirren, 80, and her husband, filmmaker Taylor Hackford, 81, as they walked through London. The newspaper reported that police believe the encounter took place toward the end of last year.
Video posted on social media shows a man approaching the couple while recording them. Mirren is seen smiling and asking whether he is “OK” before the exchange turns hostile.
The man then launched into a verbal attack focused on Mirren’s 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. You are an evil Zionist b—-. And you [Mr Hackford] as well, f— you and all.”
Mirren has maintained a public connection to Israel for decades. She first traveled there in 1967 to volunteer on a kibbutz and has consistently spoken against efforts to culturally isolate the country.
She has also criticized the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
In 2023, she portrayed former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in the biographical film Golda.
The investigation remains ongoing as police review the footage and seek to establish contact with Mirren and Hackford.
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