London's Metropolitan Police are investigating an incident as a potential antisemitic hate crime after a video resurfaced online showing Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren being verbally accosted on a London street.

 

| Helen Mirren Called ‘Evil Zionist’ By Activist In Resurfaced Video

London's Metropolitan Police are investigating an incident as a potential antisemitic hate crime after a video resurfaced online showing Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren being verbally accosted on a London street.

 

The Incident

The footage, which went viral online, shows the 80-year-old actress walking at night with her husband, director Taylor Hackford, in the Tower Hill neighborhood of East London. An off-camera activist approached Mirren, filming the encounter, and launched into an abusive tirade. The individual called her an "avowed Zionist" and an "evil Zionist b---h". Hackford intervened, telling the filmmaker to "f--- off" while they walked away.

The Context of the Activist's Claims

The activist explicitly referenced comments Mirren made during a 2023 interview with Israeli Channel 12. The interview was filmed while she was promoting her 2023 biographical film Golda, in which she portrayed Israel's former Prime Minister Golda Meir.

In the original clip referenced by the activist:

• Mirren stated that she strongly believed in the "existence of Israel" following the Holocaust.
• She recalled her first trip to the region in 1967, noting that she witnessed "Arabs being thrown out of their houses in Jerusalem" but also felt an "extraordinary magical energy" of a young country putting down roots.

The activist claimed in the street confrontation that she was "very happy that Palestinians' houses were gone".

Response and Investigation

Although the video originally circulated on a niche online page, its wider resurfacing prompted immediate condemnation from watchdogs like the Campaign Against Antisemitism. The organization labeled the confrontation an act of public "intimidation and extremism". [1, 2]

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers are actively reviewing the footage to establish contact with the victims. UK authorities stated that the case is being handled as a hate crime, noting that an incident can be investigated as an antisemitic hate crime even if the target is not Jewish. Mirren and her representatives have not publicly commented on the video.