Trending badgeTrendingPosted 2 hours agoSubscribe to BuzzFeed Daily NewsletterCaret Down"Empathy Should Not Be This Hard": Florence Pugh And Nicola Coughlan Just Called Out Big-Name Stars Who Are Staying Silent On Palestine"There are many artists that I love, and I know you love, that have hundreds of millions of followers, and they're saying nothing in this moment."by Stephanie SoteriouBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLinkHot Topic🔥 Full coverage and conversation on Politics On Wednesday night, a whole host of famous faces united for a sold-out charity concert in London to raise funds for humanitarian efforts in Palestine. Samir Hussein / Getty Images Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Gere, Amelia Dimoldenberg, and Louis Theroux are just some of the names to unite for Together for Palestine, with Florence Pugh and Nicola Coughlan also winning widespread praise for their poignant words at the event. Samir Hussein / Getty Images For reference, the benefit was held two days after a two-year United Nations investigation ruled that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, with the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry finding that Israel has "flagrantly disregarded" international law and "orchestrated a genocidal campaign for almost two years." Menahem Kahana / Getty Images On September 3, Dr. Gideon Polya and Professor Richard Hill estimated that the total death toll for Gaza since 2023 is around 680,000, with children under the age of 5 thought to make up 380,000 of these deaths.
And amid all of this devastation, both Florence and Nicola called out the people who haven't used their platform to raise awareness and take a stand. At one point in the night, Derry Girls and Bridgerton star Nicola, who helped to raise $2 million for the Palestine Crisis Relief Fund last year, told the crowd: "I have joined many colleagues in signing letters calling for a ceasefire and speaking out [for] what we believe to be grave violations of human rights in Gaza." Dave Benett / Getty Images BuzzFeed TrendingHot TopicLet's chat about all things PoliticsSee our Politics Discussions "But I'm going to use this moment to say there are many artists that I love, and I know you love, that have hundreds of millions of followers, and they're saying nothing in this moment," Nicola, who was joined on stage by singer Leigh-Anne, continued to the applause of the audience. X @KmoonlightS / Via x.com And Florence echoed this sentiment towards the end of the night, saying: "Silence in the face of such suffering is not neutrality, it's complicity. And empathy should not be this hard, and it should have never been this hard. I'm just gonna leave that with you." Dave Benett / Getty Images As with Nicola, Florence's comments sparked rapturous support from the crowd - and people at home have been left equally impressed by their bold statements. Together For Palestine / Via x.com On a Reddit forum discussing the event, one person wrote: "Glad there's a running theme of calling out those who are silent. It's not that much to speak up and make things known. The first way to fix a problem is to acknowledge it, as elementary as that sounds, it's very much something we need people to understand.""Very well said. It should never have been controversial to believe a group of people deserve safety, freedom, and peace," somebody else wrote under Florence's video.
While another said on Nicola's: "I cannot tell you how many times I have scrolled my instagram, saw a celebrity I love(loved) and instantly hit unfollow out of annoyance. I'm especially angry at the mega stars. Newer actors/singers whose careers can easily get destroyed are bravely speaking out and yet these cowards remain mute.""I think it's brave of her to call out what is essentially her colleagues. I've always liked Nicola," one more added. While another explained: "To those saying whether a celebrity with millions of followers posting something on Instagram would move the needle, It's not just a statement on Instagram, most of these artists who have shared, said anything for Palestine are also the ones signing petitions for ceasefire and cultural boycott of institutions. It's the same as many efforts coming up from civil society to pressure representatives and businesses to stop collaborating/enabling the genocide. And so yes these things matter." You can watch both clips below - let me know your thoughts in the comments!Nicola speaking at The Together For Palestine concert 🤍🕊️ pic.twitter.com/s5xfjpUoQr- Monika 🖤 (@KmoonlightS) September 17, 2025 X @KmoonlightS / Via x.com Florence Pugh speaks up at the "Together for Palestine" fundraiser:"Silence in the face of such suffering is not neutrality, it is complicity. Pressure on the governments." pic.twitter.com/JhvEMommPw- Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) September 17, 2025 Together For Palestine / Via x.com