Coronation Street star Maureen Lipman has revealed soap bosses have offered security to protect her from anti-Semitic attacks.
The Jewish actress, 77, has been playing Evelyn Plummer on the long-running ITV soap since 2018. However, Maureen has been left stunned by the huge increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes.
Since Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel and killed hundreds of people, there has been a shocking rise in attacks on British Jews. And according to Maureen, due to the rise in hate, Corrie bosses have offered her security protection.
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Dame Maureen attended a conference held at the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism. As The Sun reports, at the event, she revealed: “I had a real surprise this week when I was offered security guards by the people at Coronation Street — this is where we are now.”
Fellow Jewish actress, Tracy-Ann Oberman, 57, best known for playing Chrissie Watts on EastEnders from 2004 to 2005, spoke at the event too. She is currently starring in a UK tour of Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice,
She explained: “For the last week, the production has had to have security men around keeping an eye on things. It’s like a dystopian nightmare. A Jewish actress putting on a play about anti-Semitism which needs to be made secure because of Jew-hating extremists.”
The publication also added that a spokesperson for ITV confirmed Maureen’s security protection. They said: “The wellbeing of all our cast and crew is of utmost importance. Everyone should feel safe to come to work, and Maureen has the full support of the entire Coronation Street family.”
Maureen is one of many public figures who have signed the October Declaration over the weekend. They wrote: “We are a group of concerned British citizens and residents from a wide range of backgrounds and professions who stand in solidarity with British Jews and condemn all forms of anti-Semitism, whether in Britain or elsewhere.”
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Criticising the BBC’s refusal to call Hamas “terrorists” the signatories added: “We ask the media, members of all political parties and everyone in public life to call out Hamas for what it is: a terrorist organisation.”
Similarly, actor Steve Coogan has also condemned the recent attacks. Before Maureen’s comments came to light on Sunday (October 22) he released a statement.
He wrote of “the recent Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel; their deliberate murder of civilians and their taking of hostages”. He also said: “The Jewish people have been uniquely the target of hate and prejudice for millennia and anyone who cares about human rights should be vigilant and call it out when they encounter it.
“It goes without saying that what Hamas did is evil beyond imagination. It was horrific and brutal. It is in no way inconsistent with condemnation of the Hamas atrocity, to express grave concern for the lives and welfare of innocent Palestinian civilians facing a humanitarian disaster, deprived of food, water, medicine fuel and shelter.”
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