DUBAI: Irish actress Denise Gough, who most recently rose to fame with her fan favorite role in “Star Wars” series “Andor,” has urged fellow public figures to use their platforms to advocate for Palestinians, following her speech at the March for Gaza at Downing Street in London.
In an Instagram post on Sunday, Gough said she was invited by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign to speak out and also to deliver a poem by Palestinian poet and activist Nour Abdel Latif, called “If I Must Starve.”
“The point of my being there was to encourage people with platforms to speak up,” Gough wrote. “I understand the fears. They are not nothing. But we are now at one of the darkest moments in our history.”
She said that celebrities often receive more attention than “healthcare workers, journalists and, most importantly, the Palestinians themselves,” making it imperative for high-profile voices to “centralise and amplify Palestinian voices.”
Gough urged people to “support verified families directly, march, be visible, boycott, educate,” adding: “The more people that do it the less fearful we need to be. It’s time for action.”
She described standing with demonstrators as “being on the right side of history,” telling followers, “It feels better … making noise.”
Gough also thanked Abdel Latif “for the privilege of speaking” her words and praised “the millions all over the world who energise me and who have created a community that nourishes rather than punishes.”
She ended her post with the words: “Free Palestine.”
