Two women called onstage during a Coldplay concert Sunday night were met with boos from some of in the crowd, followed by an uneasy response from the British band’s lead singer after they disclosed their Israeli identity.
Frontman Chris Martin invited the two, named Avia and Tal, to come onstage during the British band’s performance at Wembley Stadium in London.
He asked the women where they were from, to which they replied “Israel.” They were met with a mixed response of both jeers and applause from the audience, while Martin appeared ill at ease at the piano.
“Okay, well listen — I’m very grateful that you’re here as humans, and I am treating you as equal humans on earth, regardless of where you come from or don’t come from,” said the singer.
“Although it’s controversial maybe, I also want to welcome people in the audience from Palestine because… out of the belief that we’re all equal humans,” he added, and was met with cheers from the crowd.
“Thank you for being here, I’m very happy to see you, look at your beautiful green eyes,” he told one of the women.
In an interview with the Kan public broadcaster after the fact, one of the two women confessed to having doubts about going up and revealing her Israeli identity to the large crowd.
“There was a split second that we considered saying we are from Malta, and then I said ‘Israeli,’” she said in the interview. “We couldn’t and didn’t want to lie. It was a bit scary that 90,000 people know we are from here, but we said it.”
Since the start of the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre, Coldplay’s performances — especially those in Europe — have at times become charged with discourse surrounding the conflict.
At a July performance this year, Martin pointed out an Israeli flag raised in the audience, and added that he had seen a Palestinian flag in the crowd at a concert the day prior.
“Yesterday, we had a beautiful Palestinian flag, today we have an Israeli flag. So we welcome all people. Thank you, my brothers and sisters. It makes me happy that both groups can come,” he was filmed saying earlier this summer.