Helen Mirren video investigated by police as possible hate crime

WorldPolitics
29 May 2026 • 9:04 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Helen Mirren video investigated by police as possible hate crime

  • The Metropolitan Police are “reviewing footage” circulated on social media this week, in which Dame Helen Mirren was called an "evil Zionist b****".
  • The video shows Dame Helen walking along a street in Tower Hill, London, with her husband, Taylor Hackford.
  • In a statement, a Met spokesperson said the incident is believed to have occurred “at the end of last year” and “officers are currently reviewing the footage”.
  • It added that officers are investigating the matter as a possible hate crime and are attempting to contact Dame Helen to ascertain if she wishes to formally report the incident.
  • Dame Helen, who is not Jewish, has long advocated for Israel, previously saying: “I believe in Israel, in the existence of Israel...I believe in Israel because of the Holocaust.”

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