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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.”

DUBAI: Irish rap group Kneecap continued to voice their stance on the war in Gaza during their performance in Oslo, Norway, on Friday.

Just before the trio— Mo Chara, Moglai Bap and DJ Provai — took the stage, a message in white text on a black background appeared on a video screen, accusing the Norwegian government of “enabling” the “genocide” against Palestinians through investments in the country’s sovereign wealth fund, referring to it as the “oil pension fund.” 

“Over 80,000 people have been murdered by Israel in 21 months,” the band’s message continued, “Free Palestine.” The message was received with cheers from the audience.

Kneecap has supported the Palestinian cause throughout the war in Gaza. The band has been the center of controversy in Britain since last year, when the previous government sought to block an arts grant for the band, citing its anti-British politics. That decision was overturned after the Labour Party won last year’s parliamentary election and Prime Minister Keir Starmer took office.

Last month, the group was banned from entering Hungary for three years over accusations of antisemitism.

They were due to perform at the Sziget Festival on Aug. 11. 

Kneecap said in a statement that their ban was a “further attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people.”

At Glastonbury Festival this year, Chara accused Israel of committing war crimes against the Palestinians.

More than 150 Hungarian artists and musicians signed a petition against Kneecap playing at Sziget. 

But festival organizers said that the government’s ban was “both unnecessary and regrettable,” adding the group had “reassured us that their performance would not contravene either Sziget’s values or Hungarian law.”