Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has been accused of embarrassing a pair of Jewish fans he brought on stage at Wembley Stadium after they were booed for revealing they were from Israel.
The singer, 48, brought two gig-goers on stage on Sunday evening after apparently catching sight of their sign which read 'We Believe In Magic' - a reference to the band's hit song.
But as the pair, named as Avia and Tal, were booed by the audience for revealing they were from Israel. The revelation of their nationality was met with a mix of cheering and booing from the crowd, as per a video of the exchange online.
The rumblings prompted the Yellow singer tried to smooth things over by telling them he would treat them as 'equal humans on Earth regardless of where you come from' -prompting claims from Jewish groups that he had 'dehumanised' them.
Martin then appeared to attempt to placate the crowd by also greeting Palestinian fans in the audience, which drew what sounded like louder cheers. But this was also criticised by Jewish groups.
And it all comes just weeks after the band - currently on their Music of the Spheres world tour - accidentally rumbled an affair between a top tech CEO and his head of human resources with a 'kiss cam' that showed them in an intimate embrace.
The awkward exchange at Wembley began as the singer told the fans: 'I'm going to say this: I'm very grateful that you're here as humans, and I'm treating you as equal humans on Earth regardless of where you come from or don't come from.
'Thank you for being here. We're grateful. And thank you for being loving and kind.'
The singer then inspected their sign and added to the crowd: 'Although it's controversial maybe, I also want to welcome people in the audience from Palestine, out of the belief we're all equal humans.'
Addressing the pair, Martin continued: 'I believe that we're all... that people are human. Thank you for being here. We're very happy to see you.
'Look at your beautiful green eyes. We have a song called Green Eyes. We should re-sing it for you.'
After the show, one of the Israeli women who went up on stage told broadcaster, Kan, that she had had doubts about revealing her identity to the crowd.
'There was a split second that we considered saying we are from Malta, and then I said Israeli,' she said in the interview, per the Jewish Chronicle.
'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.'
The footage, which has since gone viral, has enraged a host of pro-Israeli social media users who criticised Martin for failing to defend the girls when they were met with the sound of boos.
The Creative Community for Peace, which works to counter antisemitism, branded the moment as 'shameful'. It had previously praised Martin's comments at a Toronto concert
They wrote on X: 'At a Coldplay concert, two Israeli girls were booed simply for saying they were from Israel. And instead of defending them, Chris Martin 'balanced' it by greeting 'Palestine' then told the girls, 'we are treating you as humans of this earth.'
'Why did Israelis need to be reminded they will be treated as humans? Aren't Israelis humans already? This is exactly the dehumanization Jews face again and again, and it's shameful that it played out on a stage meant for music and unity.'
Israeli-American technology expert, Yaron Samid, who described himself on X as a 'Proud Zionist' and big Coldplay fan, also told of his dismay at the 'slip-up' by Martin.
He wrote: 'My wife and I, both Israeli, have been avid fans of Coldplay for two decades, traveling around the world to see them in concert several times. That's why this slip up by Chris Martin at Wembley Stadium is especially hurtful.'
He said that Chris has 'always seemed to be a kind, loving person' but that his use of words during were a 'tactless misstep' amid a 'growing prejudice against Israeli people'.
'You're better than this. Or at least I thought so,' he concluded.
The Macabee Task Force, which claims its mission statement is to 'fight back against the rising tide of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism on America's college campuses', accused Coldplay of not having a 'backbone'.
They wrote on X: 'While we appreciate that Coldplay's Chris Martin (sort of) attempted to be kind to two Israeli fans, he still unnecessarily politicized the moment, signaling them out in a way he would not have done for fans of any other nationality.
'Israelis should be allowed to celebrate their identity on stage without having to be reassured by a celebrity that they're 'human'. That shouldn't have to be said.
'If Chris Martin wanted to lecture someone, it should have been the fans who boo'd, not the Israeli fans who merely came to enjoy a concert.'
Dr Casey Babb, an international fellow at Israeli security think tank INSS, accused Martin of making Avia and Tal feel 'dehumanised and guilty of being Jewish'.
Eve Barlow, a Scottish self-described Zionist journalist, said the experience would have been 'mortifying' for the girls.
She wrote: '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.'
However, not all people who were either at the gig or watched it online, found anything to be outraged about.
Some, in fact, felt more positively, with one noting: 'He was absolutely incredible. He's honestly the kindest person ever.'
'Was at the concert. He handle(d) it with class. Dissolved any potential bad reaction from the crowd,' added another.
A third, who claims to be 'speaking out about the genocide in Gaza', wrote on X: 'Imagine being 'hurt' because an artist acknowledged Palestinians as equal humans.'
A fourth wrote: 'He literally said nothing wrong.'
Later in the show, Martin dueted with Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna on We Pray, which features a verse in Arabic.
She postponed a US tour at the outbreak of Israel's war with Hamas, and has sold merchandise with the slogan 'my heart is Palestinian' with proceeds going to Gaza via a Middle Eastern children's charity.
Representatives for Martin have been contacted for comment.
It's not the first time the Music of the Spheres tour has made international headlines - coming after the 'kiss cam' at a Foxborough, Massachusetts show revealed the affair between a top tech CEO and his head of HR.
Astronomer boss Andy Byron was seen with his arms around Kristin Cabot at the show in July - before trying to duck out of sight after being caught in the eye of the stadium's wily camera operator.
Martin said to the crowd: 'Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy.'
The pair were quickly identified online before resigning their positions as chief executive and head of people.
Mr Bryon's wife, Megan Byron, reverted to her maiden name of Kerrigan on social media and has since left the family home.
Martin's previous awkward apparent attempts at promoting peaceful co-existence have been met with better reception.
Pro-Israel body the Creative Community for Peace - which criticised Martin's Wembley comments - previously shared a video of the singer at a previous concert in Toronto in July in which he spotted an Israeli flag in the crowd.
'Yesterday, we had a beautiful Palestinian flag, today we have an Israeli flag,' he had said in the recording.
'So we welcome all people. Thank you, my brothers and sisters. It makes me happy that both groups can come.'
He was criticised by some pro-Palestine fans who said he was ignoring what they labelled as a genocide in Gaza.
This week, the International Association of Genocide Scholars passed a resolution declaring that Israel's actions in the strip met the legal definition of genocide.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the report was based on 'Hamas lies'. It has committed to wiping out Hamas following the October 7 attacks in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed.
Around 62,895 Palestinians have been killed since October 7 2023, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.
