The incident quickly went viral on social media, drawing sharp criticism from Jewish advocates who viewed Martin’s handling of the situation as dehumanizing.

By Aaron Sull, Jewish Breaking News

What should have been a dream moment for two Israeli Coldplay fans turned uncomfortable Sunday night when they faced boos at Wembley Stadium, with frontman Chris Martin feeling compelled to defend their presence to a crowd of 90,000.

Avia and Yael were invited on stage during the band’s performance when Martin asked where they were from.

Their honest answer prompted a mixed reaction from the packed stadium — some applause, but notably more boos and groans that created an audibly hostile atmosphere around the two young women.

Martin, seated at his piano with the fans beside him, immediately addressed the crowd’s reaction.

“I’m going to say this. I’m very grateful that you’re here as humans. We are treating you as equal humans on Earth, regardless of where you come from,” he told them.

“Thank you for being here. We’re grateful and thank you for being loving and kind,” Martin continued before pivoting to the broader audience.

“Although it’s controversial, maybe, I also want to welcome people in the audience from Palestine. I believe that we’re all equally human.”

His comments about Palestinians drew cheers from the crowd, a stark contrast to the reception the Israeli fans had received moments earlier.

“For a quarter of a second, we thought of saying Malta,” the two women told Kan 11 after the show.

“But then I said Israel. We couldn’t and didn’t want to lie. It’s a little scary that 90,000 people knew we’re from there, but we said it,” one of the fans later explained to Israeli media.

The incident quickly went viral on social media, drawing sharp criticism from Jewish advocates who viewed Martin’s handling of the situation as dehumanizing.

Investigative journalist Eve Barlow said she “cannot even begin to unpack how mortifying that moment must have been” for the two fans.

Maccabee Task Force, a not-for-profit organization that supports Jewish college students, said while Martin “attempted to be kind to two Israeli fans” he “still unnecessarily politicized the moment.”

For their part, the band have maintained relatively neutral public positions on the war in Gaza.

Unlike many musicians that have taken explicitly pro-Hamas stances, Coldplay has avoided boycotting Israel, and Martin has visited the country previously.

The post WATCH: Coldplay slammed for ‘dehumanizing’ Israeli fans at Wembley concert appeared first on World Israel News.

Band memorabilia sent to Israel was intentionally damaged; shipping company offers refunds, but won’t investigate.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli fans of the band Coldplay were shocked to discover that merchandise they ordered was intentionally damaged, presumably because the items were bound for Israel.

Numerous Israelis, who are members of Coldplay’s fan club, ordered special-edition merchandise that included a record and inserts autographed by the band’s members.

“I opened the package and saw that everything was torn and the autographs were ripped,” Coldplay fan Emily Pink told TV journalist Guy Pines.

Pink said she had confirmed with other Coldplay fans that everyone in Israel received damaged merchandise.

“A lot of us believe this is antisemitic. This is something that we paid money for, and the damage isn’t a mistake – it’s intentional,” she added.

Idan Karlan, another Coldplay fan, said that everyone who ordered merchandise to Israel received damaged items.

“Apparently the shipping company destroyed the merchandise on purpose when they saw that the package was bound for Israel,” Karlan told Guy Pines.

Karlan said that he had received an unsatisfactory response by the shipping company, and that the business appeared to be uninterested in discovering the source of the intentional damage.

“There is something big here, that all packages are sent to Israel damaged like this,” said Karlan.

But the “company simply said, ‘here’s a full refund, thanks and bye.’ Since then, they haven’t responded to us.”

Shir Beno, who also received damaged merchandise, stressed that the band and shipping company need to take responsibility for the intentional damage.

“It’s not about money,” Beno said. “We should not be sent damaged products just because we are from Israel. If this is due to antisemitism, it needs to be dealt with immediately.”

Pink and Karlan said that they were extremely disappointed that Coldplay has not publicly commented on the intentionally damaged merchandise.

“I see them in a different light now,” Pink said.

The post ‘Coldplay’ store intentionally damaged Israel-bound merchandise appeared first on World Israel News.