The National Jewish Assembly (NJA) condemns the recent video posted by comedian Dawn French, which employed a mocking tone in reference to the atrocities of 7 October. The video, which was rightly deleted after widespread outcry, is a sobering reminder of how far the casual normalisation of antisemitism and trivialisation of Jewish suffering has permeated British public life.
That a public figure could parody victims and survivors of a pogrom in which over 1,200 innocent people were murdered, tortured, raped, and kidnapped is not an unfortunate mistake – it is a cultural sickness.
Comedians are free to express themselves. But when they choose to engage in overtly political content, they are no longer entertainers – they are activists. Infotainment becomes propaganda. And the veneer of comedy does not grant licence to launder bigotry or distort moral clarity.
NJA Managing Director Steve Winston said: “Dawn French’s video was not edgy. It was grotesque. It mocked the voices of grieving families, many of whom are still waiting for the return of loved ones held by Hamas. Comedians are not neutral observers. When they step into the political arena, their influence carries weight. With that comes responsibility. Antisemitism, whether clumsy or calculated, is not entertainment.”
It is telling that French’s apology contained a glaring omission in the original video: any condemnation of Hamas. This omission is no accident. It reflects a broader trend in British culture where the crimes of Islamist terrorists are airbrushed, while Israel’s right to defend its citizens is relentlessly attacked.
Public figures must understand this: using comedy to belittle Jewish suffering, even indirectly, is not harmless. It legitimises the growing tide of anti-Israel and antisemitic hatred, much of it already finding violent expression on Britain’s streets and campuses.
The NJA calls on artists, broadcasters, and the entertainment industry at large to reflect deeply on the role they are playing in this dangerous climate. There is no punchline that justifies dehumanising the Jewish dead or diminishing the reality of terrorist atrocities. Enough.
