
Dawn French apologises after ‘mocking tone' in video about Israel-Hamas conflict
Dawn French apologises after 'mocking tone' in video about Israel-Hamas conflict
The Vicar Of Dibley actress posted a video on social media this week in which she switched between her normal voice and a higher pitched voice
Dawn French publicly apologised following the controversial video
(Image: undefined via Getty Images )
Comedian Dawn French has apologised after posting a video online about the Israel-Hamas conflict, saying she "clumsily used a mocking tone" and it "appeared one-sided".
The Vicar Of Dibley actress posted a video on social media this week in which she switched between her normal voice and a higher pitched voice.
In the video about the conflict, she said: "Complicated, no, but nuanced", adding: "Bottom line is, no."
Then at one point she said in the higher pitched voice: "Yeah, but you know they did a bad thing to us."
French has now posted a statement on X saying she has taken down the video and apologised, saying her intention was never "to mock, or dismiss, or diminish the horror of what happened" on October 7 2023.
The statement, posted on Saturday, says: "Ok, it's important to address this.
Article continues below
"I posted a video in the style I've been using for social media in an effort to convey an important point. I 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, unforgivable, savage attack.
"My heart broke for the many innocent people and their families that were killed, tortured, r@ped and kidnapped. The fact that hostages are still held is utterly appalling.
"My intention was to mock and point the finger of shame at the behaviour of the cruel leaders on ALL sides of this atrocious war, who have continued to behave like the worst, dangerous, sickening bullies and seem to relish the tyrannical and childish oneupmanship of the violence. THEY were my target, but clearly I failed to do that, and that's on me. I apologise unreservedly. I'm particularly sorry that my disgust at Hamas didn't figure. It appeared one-sided, and that is wrong.
"I am a person, who like many others, is feeling increasingly helpless and hopeless as we witness the carnage and destruction worsen. The images of starving and wounded children have haunted me day and night. History has taught us never to stand by and allow this kind of inhumane violence to be wrought on anyone, especially innocent children.
"I have felt my silence is complicit or even somehow sanctioning. So in my small way I wanted to voice my desire to say NO – to BOTH sides – to any further violence.
Article continues below
"I hope you will understand my intention was not to offend, but clearly I have. For which I'm sorry and I have removed the video."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Greta 'mistreated and mocked' by dancing Israeli officials before deportation
French doctor Bapiste Andre was on 'freedom flotilla' with Greta Thunberg - he said the group were subject to 'mockery' when they were intercepted by Israeli officials An activist on the 'freedom flotilla' boat with Greta Thunberg has said the latter was mistreated by Israeli officials. There "were acts of mistreatment" according to Baptiste Andre, who spoke to French media after the group of 12 were brought to the port of Ashdod. Mr Andre, a doctor, said there were 'no acts of physical violence', but that they were subject to sleep deprivation and 'mockery' by Israeli officials. He said this was 'especially' focussed on Ms Thunberg. 'As soon as [ Thunberg ] fell asleep, the immigration services came to wake her up' he claimed, adding that music was turned loud and members of the immigration services 'danced in front of us'. Adding there was some difficulty for the detainees in gaining access to food, water and toilets, Andre said: 'It took three hours to get a piece of bread.' On X, the Israeli foreign ministry said: 'The passengers of the 'Selfie Yacht' arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to depart from Israel and return to their home countries. Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority.' Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said Thunberg was party to ' Instagram activism'. Israeli officials have received criticism after calling the group anti-semitic amid their attempts to bring food to people in Gaza. The UN has warned Gaza's population is at risk of famine. Ms Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on the Madleen, a ship carrying aid to Gaza. Israeli naval forces seized the boat without incident early on Monday about 125 miles off of Gaza's coast, according to the coalition, which along with rights groups, said Israel's actions were a violation of international law. Israel rejects that charge because it says such ships intend to breach what it argues is a lawful naval blockade of Gaza. Speaking upon arrival at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport, Ms Thunberg called for the release of the other activists who were detained aboard the Freedom Flotilla. She described a 'quite chaotic and uncertain' situation during the detention. The activist added the conditions they faced 'are absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now'. 'We were well aware of the risks of this mission,' Ms Thunberg added. 'The aim was to get to Gaza and to be able to distribute the aid.' She said the activists would continue trying to get aid to Gaza.


Wales Online
2 hours ago
- Wales Online
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen hands over Cotswolds estate amid 'end of life crisis'
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen hands over Cotswolds estate amid 'end of life crisis' Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has announced that he has handed over the ownership of his Cotswolds estate to his sons-in-law Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen shared his "life-threatening" experience in his Sunday Times column (Image: Mike Marsland, Mike Marsland/WireImagevia Getty Images ) TV personality and design guru Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has passed on the ownership of his Cotswolds estate to his sons-in-law, following his struggle with a life-threatening experience. In January, the 60-year-old design icon opened up about an "end of life crisis" he endured after a chilling encounter while filming for Netflix's Celebrity Bear Hunt, presented by Holly Willoughby and Bear Grylls, which saw him lose consciousness during an aquatic stunt. With his future in mind, the famed Changing Rooms presenter is "no longer lord of the manor" at the Cotswolds home, where he lives in the main house alongside his wife, Jackie, who is also 60, their daughter Hermione, aged 27, and her partner. His older daughter Cecile, 30, resides a stone's throw away within the estate with her husband and two children. During the process of transferring ownership, Laurence had a humorous time detailing to solicitors the nature of his decision: "One of the most amusing things was having to sit down with a solicitor for them to assess whether Jackie and I were being coerced into this by our bullying sons-in-law. Our friends just can't believe it. They go, 'what happens if you all fall out?'". Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen's grand country home in the Cotswolds (Image: llewelynbowen/Instagram ) Laurence, who boasts a net worth of £8 million, shared in the Sunday Times his disinterest in accumulating wealth for its own sake: "We're not going to be those old people sitting on a great big pile of cash. Terribly unhappy, terribly lonely," reports the Manchester Evening News. Article continues below He added: "Owning a lot of stuff but not actually having the benefit of it. We are very, very privileged, but we have made this decision. We have manifested this life." He went on to disclose a surprising detail about his family's property arrangements, with Hermione saying: "Hilariously, Cecile and I aren't on the deeds, because we inherit it anyway - it's actually the husbands.'" Discussing a harrowing experience on Bear Grylls' Celebrity Bear Hunt that aired in February, Laurence opened up about the frightening moment he faced during the filming. While participating in a water challenge in Costa Rica, the then-59 year old interior designer got entangled in a bungee line and was dragged beneath the boat, staying submerged for a terrifying length of time until the show's safety crew pulled him out unconscious. Prior to joining the extreme reality show, he revealed his wife's opinion on the matter: "She feels it's got midlife crisis written all over it, although, as I keep telling her, I'm too old to have a midlife crisis, this is more like an end of life crisis." Expressing his wife's envy towards his adventure, he said: "She's actually, frankly, incredibly jealous. She would love to do it and has always been mildly irritated that no one's ever asked her to do something like this." He also mentioned his wife's readiness for emergencies, noting: "Because she literally has always had in her handbag, a SAS Survival Guide, to get herself out of all sorts. I meant to bring it actually and again, how foolishly, I completely forgot." The Mail reports that Laurence invited his family to stay at his spacious Cotswolds estate after he and wife Jackie realised the house was too large just for the two of them, remarking they "were rattling around the house like dried peas in a luxury tin". As the house filled with family life, the star reflected on the changes, sharing: "We certainly aren't sliding into our sixtieth year with boredom calling. We want to use our time wisely and valuably. The way you design your world helps the way you feel. "We have our big manor house filled with children and pieces of brightly coloured plastic and Peppa Pig again." For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter Article continues below Laurence then mused about embracing this phase of life, adding: "I think its something that more and more people should be doing, for us boomers generation we're all sort of surprised we've made it to 60. "I think everyone thought we would live fast and die young rather than live very, very slowly and die really quite old."


Belfast Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney for copyright infringement
Filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, the complaint claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios to generate and distribute 'endless unauthorised copies' of their famed characters, such as Darth Vader from Star Wars and the Minions from Despicable Me. 'Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism. Piracy is piracy, and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology does not make it any less infringing,' the companies state in the complaint. The studios also claimed the San Francisco-based AI company ignored their requests to stop infringing on their copyrighted works and to take technological measures to halt such image generation. Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. In a 2023 interview with The Associated Press, Midjourney CEO David Holz described his image-making service as 'kind of like a search engine' pulling in a wide swath of images from across the internet. He compared copyright concerns about the technology with how such laws have adapted to human creativity. 'Can a person look at somebody else's picture and learn from it and make a similar picture?' Mr Holz said. 'Obviously, it's allowed for people and if it wasn't, then it would destroy the whole professional art industry, probably the nonprofessional industry too. 'To the extent that AIs are learning like people, it's sort of the same thing and if the images come out differently then it seems like it's fine.' Major AI developers do not typically disclose their data sources, but have argued that taking troves of publicly accessible online text, images and other media to train their AI systems is protected by the 'fair use' doctrine of American copyright law. The case joins a growing number of lawsuits filed against developers of AI platforms — such as OpenAI, Anthropic — in San Francisco and New York. Meanwhile, the first major copyright trial of the generative AI industry is under way in London, pitting Getty Images against artificial intelligence company Stability AI.