Charlotte Church has revealed that she and her family have been threatened by people hostile to her support for Palestine. Church, a Welsh singer, campaigner and actor, played a concert on 26 February to raise funds for the Middle East Children’s Alliance, and at the end of the performance led a choir of 100 singers in a chant of “from the river to the sea”. However, she faced backlash as some campaigners, including the Campaign Against Antisemitism, accused the phrase of being politically charged and promoting the destruction of Israel.
Church responded to the criticism in an online broadcast on Instagram, explaining that she had no antisemitic beliefs and was instead fighting for the liberation of all people, regardless of their religion or background. Despite this clarification, her activism caused her and her family to receive threats. Writing on her website, she detailed the allegations made against her: “I have been called many things in my time, but not until this week have I received so much imaginative and violent hate – I’ve never before been called ‘traitor’. The threats to me and my family’s safety by some pretty scary people have resulted in the police coming round to check in on us.”
Church argued that the phrase “from the river to the sea” was a call for the “liberation of Palestine,” adding that the claim that it implied the destruction of Israel was a “grotesque irony” given the ongoing violent conflict in the region. Church has a record of political activism, having previously spoken out against Jeremy Clarkson for his comments about Meghan Markle and campaigning against the UK Conservative government.
The singer is renowned for her Late Night Pop Dungeon shows, which she has decided to retire after a final tour in 2022. As she steps away from music, she is focusing on building a landscape of new original material, inspired by the knowledge she has gained through running a wellness retreat and a nature-driven education initiative
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