Nicola Coughlan (Credit: Los Angeles Times)
"A price I’m very happy to pay": Coughlan told Palestine activism could cost her future work
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
Nicola Coughlan told The Guardian she raised more than 1.5 million pounds (USD 2 million) for humanitarian efforts in Palestine through groups including the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, ActionAid UK and Medical Aid for Palestine. She explained that she felt compelled early in the conflict to speak out about civilians being killed, even when few public figures were willing to do so.
According to Coughlan, advisers she trusted warned her that taking a public position could damage her career. “You could really damage your career doing this,” she recalled being told. They suggested she might lose certain roles. “And I thought, well, then I don’t want to be able to do that, that and that. I can’t throw away my moral conscience. True activism, it should cost you something.”
- Followers, income and friendships impacted -
Coughlan began wearing a ceasefire pin at public events. She said online backlash intensified, and she estimates she lost around a quarter of a million Instagram followers. She acknowledged that follower numbers influence commercial deals and therefore income. “So it costs me something. But that’s a price I’m very happy to pay.”
She also described difficult conversations with friends, including Jewish friends, who expressed discomfort with her stance. Coughlan rejected the idea that supporting Palestine is inherently antisemitic, calling that argument a means of silencing voices. She said she made clear to her friends that she would speak out just as forcefully against antisemitism.
- Defending her presence at London marches -
Coughlan attended at least one march in London, which some officials and media outlets described as “pro-Hamas.” She strongly disputed that characterization, saying, “I was there, literally. And it wasn’t.” She added that while she cannot speak for every participant, the atmosphere she witnessed did not support that framing.
For her, showing up in person was part of meaningful activism. “It’s very easy to type something on social media and put your phone away. It’s harder to show up. All that is very important.”
