Dawn French

[Violetparis]

Anyone else appalled and shocked at Dawn French's social media video mocking the reaction to the terror attack in Israel on Oct 6th. What on earth was she thinking ? She comes across as horrible and lacking in any empathy. I feel sorry for the innocent people on both sides of this war, in Palestine and in Israel.

Basically she is saying that nothing justifies starving and killing children, and she's right. It's certainly not the best way to say it, but she has a point.

The babyish voice was what rattled my cage and half sentences - if she'd put together something sensible - even if you/me/public etc had disagreed with her it would be one thing - but what she published was just trash.

This.

She should try to talk like a grown up next time discussing serious issues instead of a sulky teen. Was she cosplaying Harry enfield's Kevin the teenager?

Exactly. And for that she's being called a ct (the poster's not mine) and a boycott of M&S is being suggested.

Meanwhile thousands of mothers in Gaza are watching their children die. And vice versa. But yeah, let's get the pitchforks out for Dawn French.

I have family who have worked with NGOs in the region. Children as young as 5 are taught how to make bombs. They are taught martyrdom is the highest possible honour and their families are financially rewarded by the government, streets are named after them.

The Yazidi girl who was recently freed by the IDF after 10 years of sexual slavery in Gaza reported that they bring slaves to all the hospitals in Gaza, as those are Hamas' military bases.

My local bookshop is promoting a book that describes Hamas as a legitimate government and 7 Oct as a 'consequence.' It is completely idiotic and infuriating.

She should take it up with hamas. Bet they're all ears to privileged silly westerners.

It isn't what she is saying, she is entitled to her own opinion no matter how much most disagree wirh her. It is the awful way she is saying it. Minimising Oct 7th as a 'bad thing'.

Agree with everything @DeSoleil says here.

However she lost her point because of her delivery, not good for a comedian.

If she'd calmly stated that the massacre was horrific but she felt that Israel's response was not proportional and should stop we would be having a very different discussion.

No surprise. Throughout history, antisemitism has thrived the most in academia and the arts.

"she will be cancelled"

Why? Why can't an individual express an opinion without people trying to wreck her career?

I watched it and didn’t really understand it. Thought it was an attempt of a humorous bit about saying ‘no’ to people.

Couldn’t believe when I was then reading it was about October 7th attacks.

Needless to say I’ve unfollowed her. Horrible luvvie.

I think Dawn French and anyone else who mocks the attack should be forced to watch the entirety of the Hamas bodycam footage on this is hamas website. Then see if they stand by their laughter and dismissal.

I was stuck on a train a while ago and listened to the French and Saunders Titting About podcasts on Audible (only available if you are a subscriber). It was a slow journey and I ended up listening to about 12 of them. Jennifer Saunders sounded reasonable and sane and grounded throughout but I began to get the clear impression that DF was...complicated, IYKWIM.

She seemed obsessive about sex (just like Miriam Margolyes on the subject) and behaved generally like an over-indulged child, which isn't amusing when you're a woman in your 60s. I ended up wondering how on earth Saunders put up with her. French can be very, very funny when she goes off on a flight of fantasy but she has a massive ego which Saunders doesn't seem to. I don't think self-reflection or sensitivity or critical thinking are DF's thing.

Her video is a shocker. Rapists videoing the women they were raping and killing and torturing and uploading it to crow about the great thing they'd done just 'a bad thing'? As if a group of boys had done something naughty? No, Dawn. Just no. No.

What Hamas done was evil but what is going on now is it wrong to say enough is enough?

I found this article
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/17/israel-gaza-ethnic-cleansing-palestinian-death-toll

A YouTube video of an Israeli soldier who is not going back a third time to fight.

She's clearly saying NO to the extreme examples and atrocities, and that one horror doesn't justify another.

Her 'twittering' is reflecting the public discourse that sounds like - 'yes well x did this to y so that justifies y doing this horror to x'.

The fact that lots of you don't get that is pretty baffling.

Well she didn't say enough was enough did she?

She sneered, minimised and gurned and kept saying NO like she was a deranged school teacher.

She must be suffering from a mental health episode to have posted this.

Absolutely revolting, though probably not surprising, most of these awful 'luvvies' are the same. Happy enough for them to out themselves, hopefully she'll go the way of Linekar. I will certainly not be impressed if M&S, or anyone else, continues working with her. Hideous racist.

I can't see her defending it though? Though the fact it's still up certainly suggests she's standing by it. Is very apt that it appears right below the header "Dawn French is a Huge Twat".

There is something about actors, I think it is the ego, that makes them think their opinions can sway the masses. Not saying they can’t have, or express opinions, as any of us can, but some, far too many, think that the ability to pretend to be another person and get well paid for it means the words that drop from their lips should be engraved in stone and erected at every crossroads for the populous to wonder at.

As the saying goes better to be silent and let people think you are dim than open your mouth and confirm it.

I don't know, she sounds really badly informed and nasty. Perhaps she is just jumping on a fashionable bandwagon that she doesn't know much about?

FGS you can deplore starving children in Gaza without making light of the horrendous attack by Hamas on 7th October.

Might add that I also deplored the celebrations of the 7/10 attack, so soon afterwards, by some people, both here and in Gaza.

Have you watched any of the isreali spokespeople who are constantly platformed on our media justifying a genocide, that's way more offensive to me

Frustratingly bad judgement.

By apparently wanting to take a humanitarian stance, she dismissed inhumane terror and mass murder.

Now all the focus will be on this rather than the millions of people being brutally, deliberately and systematically starved, terrorised and exterminated in Gaza.

She IS a very compassionate person but this "performance" is a big mistake because it's left her open to misinterpretation.
I don't believe for a nano second that she's anti semitic. For a start she must have lots of Jewish pals in show biz.

She is. There is no excuse for them doing what they're doing.