Actress and comedian Dawn French has issued a public apology following backlash over a video she shared in which she appeared to downplay the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.
Posted on Thursday, the 67-year-old’s video used a “baby voice” to seemingly parody support for Israel and mock common justifications for its military response in Gaza after the 2023 Hamas-led attack.
In the clip, French said: “Complicated, no, but nuanced. But the bottom line is no. ‘Yeah but you know they did a bad thing to us’...”
She continued: “Yeah, but no. ‘But we want that land and there’s a lot of history…’. No. ‘These people are not even people, are they really?’ No.”
The video sparked swift criticism online, with high-profile figures such as actress Tracy-Ann Oberman and broadcaster Piers Morgan condemning the tone and message of the post.
— Dawn French 💙🔴🏳️🌈🇺🇦🇵🇸 (@Dawn_French) June 7, 2025
Amid the growing backlash, French responded by posting an apology on her social media platforms, clarifying her intentions and expressing regret over the offence caused.
She wrote: “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.”
She continued by saying it was “utterly appalling” that hostages were still being held in Gaza, and claimed her intention was to “mock and point the finger of shame at the behaviour of the cruel leaders on ALL sides of this attricious war.”
“I’m particularly sorry that my disgust at Hamas didn’t figure. It appeared one-sided and that is wrong,” she added.
She added that she had been motivated by a sense of helplessness and a desire to speak out against the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
She penned: “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.”
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Amid the growing backlash, French responded by posting an apology on her social media channels
GETTY / X
She finished by revealing she had deleted the contentious video, writing: “I hope you will understand my intention was not to offend, but clearly I have. For which I am sorry and I have removed the video.”
French’s apology has sparked mixed reactions online. While some praised her for addressing the controversy directly, others remained critical of the original video, accusing her of still taking sides.
Several pointed to the Palestinian flag in her X bio, noting the absence of an Israeli flag as evidence of bias.
Others voiced disappointment that French apologised at all, arguing she should not have bowed to public pressure after taking what they saw as a stand for Palestine.
After the initial video was posted, West End actress Tracy-Ann Oberman hit out at French, accusing her of taking a “mocking” tone and denying the pain of the terror attack.
After the initial video was posted, West End actress Tracy-Ann Oberman hit out at French
GETTY
She wrote: “I am so saddened by this post. This mocking voice ‘bad thing’ of October 7 that Dawn (who I revere by the way) appears to be mocking involved the most horrific terrorist attack involving rape, sexual violence, burning alive child, mutilation and the taking of civilian hostages.”
She continued: “Why would Dawn seem to deny that which has affected so many of us personally in the most painful way possible.
“I can mourn the horrors of the war in Gaza whilst also remembering the horrors of what started it. Is this how most of our industry feels now – Oct 7 was a ‘little thing’? NO!”
Before issuing the public apology, French initially replied to Oberman, writing: “I do not say ‘a little thing’. In NO WAY do I support the atrocities of Oct 7. Of course not. Appalling. Horrific.
“But starving innocent children is not the answer. NO is the answer to ALL of it, Tracy.”
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