Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was accused of “dehumanising” Israeli fans at a Wembley Stadium concert in London at the weekend.
The singer, 48, invited two Israeli women to join him at the gig on Sunday evening after apparently noticing their sign, which read “We Believe In Magic” - a reference to the band's hit song.
He introduced the pair as Avia and Tal to the 90,000 strong audience and asked where they were from.
When the fans said, “Israel,” they were met with a mixture of boos and cheers from the crowd, per a social media video of the exchange.
Martin told them: “I'm going to say this: I'm very grateful that you're here as humans, and I'm treating you as equal humans on Earth regardless of where you come from or don't come from.
“Thank you for being here. We're grateful. And thank you for being loving and kind.”
At a Coldplay concert, two Israeli girls were booed simply for saying they were from Israel. And instead of defending them, Chris Martin “balanced” it by greeting “Palestine” then told the girls, “we are treating you as humans of this earth.”
— Creative Community for Peace (@CCFPeace) September 1, 2025
Why did Israelis need to be reminded… pic.twitter.com/zovI8gjml8
The Yellow singer then told the crowd: “Although it's controversial maybe, I also want to welcome people in the audience from Palestine, out of the belief we're all equal humans.”
This prompted what appeared to be louder cheers from the audience.
Martin - who recently rescheduled two Wembley concerts due to Tube strikes - went on: “I believe that we're all... that people are human. Thank you for being here. We're very happy to see you.
“Look at your beautiful green eyes. We have a song called Green Eyes. We should re-sing it for you.”
After the show, one of the Israeli women admitted she’d had her doubts about revealing where she was from.
“There was a split second that we considered saying we are from Malta, and then I said Israeli,” she told the broadcaster Kan, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
“We couldn't and didn't want to lie. It was a bit scary that 90,000 people know we are from here, but we said it.”
A clip of the onstage exchange has since gone viral and divided fans, with some pro-Israeli social media users accusing Martin of “dehumanising” the women and failing to defend them from boos.
Dear @coldplay,
— Casey Babb (@DrCaseyBabb) September 2, 2025
I doubt you’ll ever see this – but some things need to be said.
At a recent concert of yours, you asked two fans who had been brought on stage where they were from. When they responded with “Israel,” they were met with boos from the crowd. Instead of… pic.twitter.com/ux1Sj15zUh
The Creative Community for Peace, which works to counter antisemitism, wrote on X: “At a Coldplay concert, two Israeli girls were booed simply for saying they were from Israel.
“And instead of defending them, Chris Martin 'balanced' it by greeting 'Palestine' then told the girls, 'we are treating you as humans of this earth.’
“Why did Israelis need to be reminded they will be treated as humans? Aren't Israelis humans already? This is exactly the dehumanization Jews face again and again, and it's shameful that it played out on a stage meant for music and unity.”
Betar Worldwide, a Zionist activist movement, posted: “Here’s the truth: Israelis don’t need validation from rockstars. Our existence isn’t up for debate.”
Dr Casey Babb, an international fellow at Israeli security think tank INSS, accused Martin of making Avia and Tal feel “dehumanised and guilty of being Jewish”.
Others, however, defended Martin and praised his “classy” handling of the situation.
“He was absolutely incredible. He's honestly the kindest person ever,” one person wrote on a video of the exchange.
“Was at the concert. He handle(d) it with class. Dissolved any potential bad reaction from the crowd,” another added.
The Standard has contacted Coldplay’s representative for comment.
Martin divided fans once again during a concert in Toronto in July when he spotted an Israeli flag in the crowd.
“Yesterday, we had a beautiful Palestinian flag, today we have an Israeli flag,” he said.
“So we welcome all people. Thank you, my brothers and sisters. It makes me happy that both groups can come.”
It came weeks after he halted a gig when an Israeli-flag wearing comedian fell while trying to storm the stage.
In January, he thanked India for “forgiving” British colonialism at a Coldplay concert in Mumbai.
