This is the moment Dame Helen Mirren was called an “evil Zionist b***c” after being accosted by a pro-Palestine activist on a street in London.
Footage shared online by an account called Anti-Fascist Action UK shows the 80-year-old Oscar-winning actress walking with her husband, director Taylor Hackford, when she is approached by a man filming them.
Initially, Dame Helen appeared calm, smiling as she greeted the stranger and asked if he was okay.
But the exchange quickly turned hostile as the man launched into a tirade over the actress’s longstanding support for Israel.
“And there is Helen Mirren the avowed Zionist,” he said in the clip. “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 as well, f*** you as well,” he added, directing the remark at Mr Hackford.
As the confrontation escalated, Mr Hackford stepped in and repeatedly told the man to “f*** off” and leave the couple alone.
The screen star has long spoken publicly about her support for Israel and opposition to cultural boycotts against the country.
Last month, she signed an open letter alongside figures including Amy Schumer, Mila Kunis, Sharon Osbourne and Boy George backing Israel’s inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest.
The actress has also portrayed several prominent Jewish figures on screen, including Maria Altmann in Woman in Gold and former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir in Golda.
Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12 in 2023 while promoting Golda, Mirren said: “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 also revealed at the time that some people had attempted to discourage her from taking the role because of Israel’s political position globally, but defended her decision.
“I've met such extraordinary people in Israel,” she said.
“I know there is a base, a foundation of deep intelligence, thoughtfulness, commitment, poetry even in Israel that is very, very special.”
Dame Helen first visited Israel in 1967 shortly after the Six-Day War, volunteering on Kibbutz HaOn near the Sea of Galilee.
While the actress has consistently defended Israel’s right to exist and criticised cultural boycotts, she has also previously expressed concern about the direction of the Israeli government and said she does not support every action taken by its leaders.
The Standard has contacted Dame Helen Mirren’s rep for comment.
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