Coronation Street favourite Maureen Lipman has been offered extra security by soap bosses following a surge in anti-Semitic hate in the UK.
The actress, 77, who portrays Evelyn Plummer in the hit ITV soap, spoke at an event for academics at the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism, revealing she was taken by surprise when Corrie bosses spoke to her about extra security measures.
“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," Maureen said at the event, according to The Sun.
The Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on 7 October and killed hundreds before taking hostages. Following this, there has been a shocking rise in attacks on British Jews.
ITV bosses offered Maureen extra security and protection as part of their duty-of-care protocol. An ITV source said Maureen has the "full support" of everyone at Coronation Street.
In a statement shared with The Sun, the source 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 wasn't the only soap star at the event, with former EastEnders star Tracy-Ann Oberman saying she had also needed extra security brought in at her theatre shows.
“For the last week, the production has had to have security men around keeping an eye on things. It’s like a dystopian nightmare," the 57 year old actress said. “A Jewish actress putting on a play about anti-Semitism which needs to be made secure because of Jew-hating extremists.
“As one reviewer said, ‘Written in 1600, set in 1936, as relevant today in 2023.’ Ain’t that the truth.”
Prior to the event, Corrie favourite Maureen had spoken out against a group called Artists for Palestine UK, who published a letter accusing Israel war crimes with no mention of the Hamas attacks.
In response Dame Maureen said: “When babies were garrotted, women dragged by their hair and a family had eyeballs gouged out and fingers chopped off in front of their children — do they really think that Israeli blockades on the border with Gaza area justification for such acts of violence? Those bigoted signaturists, do they have no soul as well as no judgment?
“These bleeding heartless liberals care so deeply for the Palestinians (who, since 1937, have turned down no fewer than five offers of a two-state solution) that they espouse their cause at the expense of every other oppressed people of the world . . . Shame. Shame. Shame on every one of you.”
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