In a moment that has since sparked a firestorm of online backlash, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin is being called out for his words during a recent London concert. The incident, which took place at Wembley Stadium, involved Martin bringing two concertgoers on stage, only for them to be booed by a portion of the crowd after revealing they were from Israel.
The controversy began when the two women were asked where they were from and responded with “Israel.” The crowd’s reaction, which was a mix of boos, groans, and some applause, put Martin in a tough spot. In an effort to diffuse the situation, he stated, “I’m going to say this. I’m very grateful that you’re here as humans. We are treating you as equal humans on Earth, regardless of where you come from.” He continued by thanking them for being “loving and kind.” The singer also made sure to “welcome people in the audience from Palestine … although it’s controversial, maybe.”
While some might see this as a commendable response, social media users decided that trying to defuse the situation was the wrong move and he somehow “dehumanized” the women by making them feel like they needed to be “reassured by a celebrity that they’re human. One fan pointed out that this shouldn’t have to be said in the first place, and if Martin wanted to lecture someone, “it should have been the fans who booed,” which neglects the fact that doing this would have been taking a side, which he clearly did not want to do.
Chris Martin blasted for trying to reassure fans during a concert
Martin likely didn’t want another scandal and repeated his sentiment that “we’re all equally human.” This added a layer of complexity to the moment, with some fans feeling that he had reduced the two young women to “political pawns in a conflict.”
My wife and I, both Israeli, have been avid fans of @coldplay for two decades, traveling around the world to see them in concert several times. That’s why this slip up by Chris Martin at Wembley Stadium is especially hurtful.
— Yaron Samid
When two young Israeli fans joined him on stage Chris… pic.twitter.com/ozbWh2QNr0(@yaronsamid) September 1, 2025
The fans who were brought on stage later spoke on Israel’s KAN public broadcast (per the Times of Israel), admitting that for “a split second” they considered lying and saying they were from Malta. However, they said they “couldn’t and didn’t want to lie.” They expressed that it was “a bit scary that 90,000 people know we are from here,” but they felt it was important to be honest.
This reveals just how intense the moment was for them, and that they were in a position where they might be hated just because of where they are from. They indeed were booed and hated, but Chris likely didn’t want to play sides and just wanted peace. After all, he’s the one who caught the Astronomer CEO cheating.
