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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Andrew Pulver

Helen Mirren speaks out about being called ‘evil Zionist’ on the street in London

Helen Mirren with short silver hair smiles at the camera outdoors near the sea
Mirren, who played Israeli prime minister Golda Meir in a 2023 biopic, was speaking at the Taormina film festival. Photograph: Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images

Helen Mirren has commented on being called an “evil Zionist bitch” while being harassed in the street in London, saying she was “attacked by mistake by a man who was maybe a little over passionate or maybe mentally not quite stable”.

Footage circulated last month of an incident, believed to have taken place last year, while Mirren was walking with her husband, film-maker Taylor Hackford. They were approached and filmed by an unidentified person, who commented on Mirren’s support of Israel and then launched a volley of abuse at her.

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