Coldplay frontman Chris Martin is facing intense backlash after a controversial moment at the band’s sold-out concert at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, where he brought two young Israeli fans onstage and described them as “equal humans on Earth,” before also welcoming Palestinians in the audience.

A viral video of the interaction shows the visibly nervous fans standing beside Martin as he sat at a piano and addressed the crowd.

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“I’m going to say this. I’m very grateful that you’re here as humans. We are treating you as equal humans on Earth, regardless of where you come from,” Martin said. “Thank you for being here. We’re grateful and thank you for being loving and kind.”

“Although it’s controversial, maybe, I also want to welcome people in the audience from Palestine,” he added, prompting loud cheers. “I believe that we’re all equally human.”

While Martin’s comments may have been intended as a message of unity, they quickly ignited backlash — particularly from Jewish community members, who said the Coldplay singer embarrassed the fans and “qualified their existence” rather than celebrating them as he would other concertgoers.

Eve Barlow, a Jewish journalist, said on X that the moment was “mortifying” and likely humiliating for the two Israeli women.

“Imagine being called up to be celebrated as fans of your favorite band, and it is turned into an opportunity to qualify your existence in front of an audience of tens of thousands,” Barlow wrote.

Dr. Casey Babb posted a detailed response online criticizing Martin for what he described as “conditional tolerance” toward the fans: “Instead of supporting them and treating them like you would any other fans – with dignity, respect, and kindness – you made them feel conditionally tolerated, dehumanized, and guilty of being Jewish,” Babb wrote.

“So when you sit there and say, ‘We are treating you as equal humans on Earth,’ you aren’t doing something righteous – you’re looking at those girls in the face and saying, ‘We know you aren’t equal, nor human, but tonight, we can pretend you are.’”

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This isn’t the first time Coldplay has stirred controversy this summer. In July, an AI company CEO and HR executive were forced to resign after being filmed cuddling on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts; both were married to other people.

The Wembley incident, however, has prompted far broader criticism and reignited debate around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.