Irish actress Nicola Coughlan touted her support for Palestinians “in need” amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war at the Dublin premiere...
The post ‘Bridgerton’ Star Touts Raising Millions for ‘Suffering’ Palestinians in Gaza, Ignores Hamas Attacks on Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
Nicola Coughlan attending Netflix “Bridgerton” season 3 premiere at Alice Tully Hall in New York on May 13, 2024. Photo: Lev Radin/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Irish actress Nicola Coughlan touted her support for Palestinians “in need” amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war at the Dublin premiere on Thursday for part two of the third season of the hit show “Bridgerton,” and also called on US President Joe Biden to intervene and take action to end the conflict in Gaza.
The 37-year-old has consistently worn a pin supporting the Artists4Ceasefire campaign during the entire press tour for the latest season of “Bridgerton,” in which she plays the lead character, Penelope Featherington. Coughlan has also helped raise $1.2 million for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) through a social media campaign.
At Thursday’s event at the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield, Dublin, Coughlan wore the Artists4ceasefire pin on her Erdem gown and expressed solidarity with Palestinians “suffering” in Gaza. However, the actress did not mention the fact that the raging war in the Middle East began in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel, where thousands of Israeli civilians were slaughtered or wounded and hundreds more were taken by the terrorist organization back to Gaza as hostages.
“I’m so proud of this show and it’s so joyful and fun, but I’m hyper-aware of what’s going on in Gaza right now,” Coughlan said. “I have a fundraiser on Instagram right now for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, and it’s raised one and a half million … I wanted to raise 10K. That has blown me away — the generosity of people. That’s what I want to focus on. If I get a few mean Instagram comments, I’ll live. I’m not the important one here.”
The former “Derry Girls” star, who also played Diplomat Barbie in the “Barbie” movie, additionally spoke of using her Instagram account, which has 4.8 million followers, to bring attention to the war in the Middle East. Coughlan was asked if she received backlash for speaking out about the war, according to the Irish Examiner. She replied, “Even if I have, I don’t think it matters. I am not the one suffering in the situation. Some people go ‘who cares what an actress thinks’ and I know, you’re right. But what I can do is help raise money for people in need.”
The “Big Mood” actress additionally talked about Biden and her desire for him to take action to establish a ceasefire to end the war. “I think a lot of Irish people look to Joe Biden and go: ‘You’re very proud of your Irish roots, it would be great if you could use that and apply it to the situation here and use it to help people who are in need,'” she said.
Coughlan has regularly expressed solidarity with Palestinians living in Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war and has shared posts on social media about their alleged “extermination,” mentioning the Oct. 7 attacks but solely focusing on how it has affected Palestinians in the region.
The actress told Teen Vogue in April that her family lived in Jerusalem before she was born when her father served in the Irish army as part of a peacekeeping force. “He would go into a lot of war-torn regions after the conflict and try and help rebuild. He used to work with the UN on a lot of peacekeeping missions,” she explained. “My family lived in Jerusalem back in the late ’70s, early ’80s, before I was born, so I heard firsthand stories about them living there.”
Commenting on her efforts to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, she told the magazine: “To me it always becomes about supporting all innocent people, which sounds oversimplified, but I think you’ve got to look at situations and just think, ‘Are we supporting innocent people no matter where they’re from, who they are’ That’s my drive … if you know that you’re coming from a place of ‘I don’t want any innocent people to suffer,’ then I’m not worried about people’s reactions.”
The post ‘Bridgerton’ Star Touts Raising Millions for ‘Suffering’ Palestinians in Gaza, Ignores Hamas Attacks on Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
