UK comedian Dawn French has posted a public apology after posting a video about the war in Gaza, and removed the item from her social media.
The 40-second video posted earlier this week showed the star of BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley share her views on the conflict, saying “Complicated, no, but nuanced. But [the] bottom line is no.”
Switching into a high-pitched voice, she continued: “Yeah, but you know they did a bad thing to us, yeah but no. But we want that land… and we have history… No. Those people aren’t really even people, are they really? No.”
Following a backlash with people complaining she was mocking the October 7 attack that ignited the war, French removed the video Saturday and said she never meant to “mock, or dismiss, or diminish the horror” of the event.
She wrote on social media:”I hope you will understand my intention was not to offend, but I clearly have. For which I am sorry and I have removed the video.”
French said that she had posted a video in the style that she has been using for social media “in an effort to convey an important point”, although she added that she had “clumsily used a mocking tone.”
“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, unforgiveable, savage attack.”
She said her intention had been “to mock and point the finger of shame at the behaviour of the cruel leaders on all sides of this atrocious war.”
“THEY were my target, but clearly I failed to do that, and that’s on me. I apologise unreservedly, and I’m particularly sorry that my disgust at Hamas didn’t figure. It appeared one-sided and that is wrong.”
Almost 1,200 people were killed on October 7 2023 when Hamas led a cross-border attack and took 251 hostages. BBC News reports that 54 remain in captivity. Israel launched a retaliatory campaign in Gaza, with a reported death toll of 54,607.
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