For celebrities, silence on Gaza 'genocide' is no longer an option

Steve Coogan is among British celebrities who have signed a letter condemning Israel's actions in Gaza. PA

The tide is turning for Palestine in the West, with prominent figures who previously remained silent now raising their voices against the devastating violence in Gaza.

In the past several weeks, three open letters – one from literary figures; one from the global film industry ahead of the Cannes Film Festival; and one from those in UK film, music and beyond – have categorically condemned Israel’s continuing assault and called for a ceasefire.

British writer Zadie Smith – a year after writing an essay in The New Yorker scolding campus protesters for making some students feel unsafe, and others for “quibbling over the definition of genocide” – was among the most prominent names to join an open letter signed by 379 other writers from across the UK and Ireland.

“The use of the words 'genocide' or 'acts of genocide' to describe what is happening in Gaza is no longer debated by international legal experts or human rights organisations,” the letter reads.

British writer Zadie Smith is among those who signed an open letter calling for an end to the Gaza war. EPA

The UK letter, signed by 300 figures from across the entertainment industry including Benedict Cumberbatch, Riz Ahmed and Dua Lipa, was also pointed. It was addressed to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and urged him “to take immediate action to end the UK’s complicity in the horrors in Gaza”.

“Mothers, fathers, babies, grandparents – an entire people left to starve before the world’s eyes,” the letter read. “Two hundred and ninety thousand children are on the brink of death – starved by the Israeli government for more than 70 days.”

Actor Steve Coogan, who signed the letter, later took part in reading the names of children killed in Gaza publicly at a vigil in Westminster, London, telling Sky News: "They're all children who had lives, who had nothing to do with the conflict and need to be remembered."

Coogan added that it was more difficult to speak up in the direct aftermath of October 7, but as the "mass, indiscriminate killing of innocent people" has continued for 20 months, "more and more people are realising that this has stop”.

A similar open letter was published just before the start of the Cannes Film Festival earlier in May, signed by Ralph Fiennes and Richard Gere among others.

A notable trend has emerged between the lines of these letters. As Coogan pointed out, earlier in the war, many felt they could not speak out, for fear of repercussions. In 2023, some actors who spoke out for Palestine, such as Scream star Melissa Barrera, were dropped from projects after calling Israel's actions in Gaza a "genocide".

But now, the public pressure to speak out about Gaza - and often to use the word "genocide" – has moved in the opposite direction far enough to move those who had held back their feelings to speak out.

At Cannes, jury president Juliette Binoche initially did not sign the open letter against "genocide", even dismissing press conference questions about her lack of support for the initiative. Then, at the opening ceremony that night, Binoche honoured a slain Gazan photojournalist, but did not name Israel specifically or use the word "genocide". But after a public backlash, Binoche added her name to the letter the next day.

Cannes Film Festival jury president Juliette Binoche, pictured with jurors Jeremy Strong and Alba Rohrwacher, added her name to a protest letter after facing a backlash AFP

Nobel-prize winner and activist Malala Yousafzai made her most pointed statement yet on Gaza on May 20. She wrote on X: “It makes me sick to my stomach to see Israel’s cruelty and brutality in Gaza … I call on every world leader to put maximum pressure on the Israeli government to end this genocide and protect civilians.”

Even Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, previously criticised for performing in Israel in 2017, issued his first statement against the country's recent actions on Friday. On Instagram, Yorke said he “remained in shock that his supposed silence was somehow taken as complicity”. He denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the “horrific blockade of aid to Gaza”, adding that the “excuse of self-defence has long worn thin”.

Notably, however, Yorke stopped short of using the word “genocide” and criticised “unquestioning” use of the phrase “free Palestine”.

Popular US YouTuber Ms Rachel has been a vocal advocate for children in Gaza. AFP

Perhaps part of the reason the Overton window has shifted is the sheer number of celebrities who have continued to speak out, regardless of the professional consequences.

Rachel Accurso, better known as the massively popular children's entertainer Ms Rachel – who boasts 15 million YouTube subscribers, a Netflix deal and a line of merchandise, has remained steadfast in her support for the children of Gaza.

Accurso told NPR in May: "I would risk everything, and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for them. It's all about the kids for me."

The message is clear. The more prominent figures keep their voices raised, the more even the most reticent are compelled to use their voices for peace. In the arts world, silence when thousands are at risk of starvation is, for many, no longer an option.