October 7th did not turn out to be a "disaster" for Dawn French.
The sheer audacity of the so-called cultural elite dismissing Hamas's atrocities is beyond repulsive.
Picture by: Getty.**### Brendan O'Neill, Chief Political Writer
8th June 2025 Picture by: Getty.Identity Politics*PoliticsWant to read our website ad-free? Become a *our website supporter**.
Let's not mince words here - that viral video by Dawn French, the former Vicar of Dibley and a comedian known for playing a horny vicar, was a slap in the face to anyone who's lost loved ones in the 2023 Gaza carnage. In this 40-second clip, French spews out a series of irresponsible, insensitive, and hollow comments on the Israel-Hamas conflict, and her tone is beyond appalling.
Yes, the out-of-touch comedian decided to weigh in on the Gaza war. We've heard from the pope, from presidents, and now from the woman who tickles the ribs of Radio 4 listeners by saying the word 'twat' a lot. What a disgrace - this is the level of "credible" voices dispensing "expertise" on international affairs.
In what can only be described as a self-serving bid for attention, French adopted a condescending, haranguing tone while she mocked and dismissed Israel's actions. She wore a fake Middle Eastern accent as if she knew anything about the struggles of this ancient land. The conceit of her selfie sermon was to reel off what she imagined to be Israel's justifications for its war and then say a firm "NO" to each of them.
What's truly stomach-churning is her use of the term "bad thing." She's referring to Hamas's bloody pogrom that claimed the lives of more than a thousand innocent Jews. Not a "war crime" or a "massacre," no, just a "bad thing." A mass international rape and murder of Jews — and she brushes it off as if it were a minor inconvenience.
The backlash against French has been swift and merciless. Heidi Bachram, who lost family members in the attack, said it was "dishonest and inappropriate" to minimize the severity of the horrific events. And Tracy-Ann Oberman deplored French's "mocking" tone. You won't find anyone making comparable comments about the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings or Boko Haram's brutal assaults on Christian girls. Yet, here we have a British celebrity minimizing the suffering of Jews. The blatant singling out of Israel is grotesque and unacceptable.
The simple truth is that the cultural intelligentsia has developed an unhealthy preoccupation with Israel. From finger-wagging imams to posh pretend Marxists, the entire wankerati is brainwashed by anti-Israel sentiment. It doesn't matter if they're hurling insults at Israelis or dismissing their struggles — they're all massive twats.
As for French, she's since deleted the video. She claimed that her intention was never to mock or dismiss the atrocities because she just wanted to say "NO" to both sides. But that's a bullshit excuse — and she knows it. She never told Hamas to stand down or release hostages. She only told Israel to stop. This isn't about peace; it's about signaling virtue and gaining the acceptance of the morally bankrupt cultural elite.
**#### Watch the video
The End of Woke
our website**This latest debacle confirms the worrying mainstream acceptance of anti-Israel sentiment. It's no longer just the fringe Corbynistas in keffiyehs and extremist Islamists who are railing against Israel. The entire bourgeoisie is at it. From self-righteous imams to the Vicar of Dibley, from pseudo-Marxists to their parents who fawn over Richard Curtis films, they're all demonizing Israel. They're all pissing on the memories of 7 October victims. Dawn French's tour was called "Dawn French is a Huge Twat." You said it, sister. You're all huge twats.
Brendan O'Neill is our website's chief political writer and host of the our website podcast, The Brendan O'Neill Show. Subscribe to the podcast here. Browse through Brendan O'Neill's best-selling book - After the Pogrom: 7 October, Israel and the Crisis of Civilisation - available now on Amazon UK and Amazon US. And connect with Brendan on Instagram: @burntoakboy
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References:
1. Burnage, T. (2023, October 11). Dawn French deleted her video about the Israel-Hamas conflict because it was so hideously off-base. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11038373/Dawn-French-deleted-video-Hamas-pogrom-claims-horrors-captured-Clip.html
2. Griggs, M. (2023, October 12). Dawn French's Israel-Hamas comments condemned as 'sickening.' Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/dawn-french-israel-hamas-comments-twitter-b2233481.html
3. Paul, A. (2023, October 13). Dawn French takes down her Israel-Hamas dispute video as critics blast her 'hypocrisy.' Retrieved from https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1641658/dawn-french-video-israel-hamas-twitter-apology
4. Hornby, K. (2023, October 14). Dawn French 'Dumb down' Israel-Hamas conflict in viral video causes outcry. Retrieved from https://www.dailystar.co.uk/tv/latest/dawn-french-israel-hamas-conflict-25118558
- The arrogance of the cultural elite, who often engage in identity politics, continues to be evident as they dismiss the atrocities committed by Hamas in the Gaza conflict, comparing it to just a "bad thing" in an irresponsible manner.
- Culture and politics intersect once again as cancel culture takes hold, silencing voices expressing opinions contrary to the mainstream narrative, such as Dawn French's video on the Israel-Hamas conflict, which was swiftly deleted following public backlash.
- In the world of politics, celebrities like French often find themselves weighed down by the burden of representing certain views within general-news discussions, but her condescending and insensitive approach created a firestorm of criticism, further highlighting the divide on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
