Florence Pugh questions Hollywood silence about Palestine

• Pugh says she has likely lost hundreds of thousands of followers over her support for Palestine.
• The Oscar-nominated actress says no one on her team advised her to stay quiet.She questions why it took
• Hollywood so long to publicly show sympathy for Palestinians.
• Pugh appeared at last year’s Together for Palestine fundraiser, which raised more than $2 million.

Florence Pugh has said she was “never scared” to publicly support Palestine, while questioning why it took so long for people in Hollywood to speak openly about the suffering of Palestinians.

In an interview with Vanity Fair published this week, the Oscar-nominated British actress said she had likely lost hundreds of thousands of social media followers over the past few years because of her outspoken support for Palestinians. 

“I don’t know why it took so long for people to start talking and for people to actually feel sympathy,” Pugh said, according to Vanity Fair. She added that she was “never scared” of speaking about Palestine.

Pugh said the relative silence from others in the entertainment industry had left her confused and had reinforced her decision to speak publicly.

She also said nobody on her team had advised her to remain silent on the issue. Her comments come after she has repeatedly shared links to humanitarian aid campaigns for Palestinians and appeared at the Together for Palestine fundraising concert in London last year. 

The event, held at London's OVO Arena Wembley, raised more than $2 million for humanitarian organisations and featured artists including Gorillaz, Brian Eno, James Blake, Sampha and Bastille. Pugh attended despite the event conflicting with production on Avengers: Doomsday, according to Vanity Fair. (Variety Australia)

At the event, Pugh urged attendees to put pressure on governments and said silence in the face of suffering was not neutral.

In her latest comments, she said the situation in Gaza remained difficult to reconcile with the ordinary flow of life and social media.

“It’s still happening, though,” Pugh said, referring to the continuing suffering of Palestinians. “Babies are still dying. Mothers are still in pain.”

Pugh's comments add to a growing number of Hollywood figures who have publicly addressed the war in Gaza and Palestinian rights. Actress Hannah Einbinder, for example, has also criticised what she described as Hollywood's silence on Palestine, while filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar has publicly worn a “Free Palestine” pin and spoken about the issue. 

Pugh has previously said at the Together for Palestine event that empathy should not be difficult and called on governments to face pressure over the situation.

Read more: NYPD arrests pro-Palestine protesters demonstrating against Netanyahu in New York