Dame Maureen Lipman quits Equity over its call upon members to join pro-Palestinian march

Dame Maureen Lipman has declared she is quitting Equity over the actors' union's stance on Palestine.

Equity recently put out a call to its members, encouraging them to join pro-Palestinian marches which have been blighted by anti-Semitism.

Lipman told The Daily Telegraph she believed Israel had become an "obsession" for Equity, condemning the union's president, Maureen Beattie, for sharing an online petition calling for sanctions against the country and urged other Jewish actors to "get the hell out!"

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The 75-year-old Coronation Street star said: "I'm going to resign and I'm also going to ask for my £1,000 a year membership fees to be given back to me, and I'm going to send it a charity for the victims on both sides.

"I didn't join a political union. I joined a union to protect its members. You don't dictate to artists what they believe in, and don't incite them to join a mob.

"How dare they demand sanctions? Where is Maureen Beattie on the Uyghurs, Rohingyas, the Sudanese, the Yemenites?"

Former EastEnders actor Tracy-Ann Oberman and comedian Dom Joly have also criticised Equity for taking a political stance on the conflict in Gaza.

It's A Sin star Oberman told BBC's Newsnight: "It's been a deeply upsetting couple of days, particularly as the union haven't come back with any sort of apology...

"The problem that Jewish actors are having is that by dint of Equity's leadership statement it's sort of turning into a political loyalty test for Jews in our industry."

Equity President Maureen Beattie said in a statement: "Equity has a long, and proud history of standing up for peace and justice around the world – including in Palestine. Violence directed against ordinary working people in both Israel and Palestine is appalling, and it is to be condemned by our movement.

"The disproportionate actions of the current Israeli government over the past few weeks, both in the policing of Jerusalem and toward Gaza, are particularly horrifying. We stand in solidarity with Palestinians taking industrial action, and workers around the world taking action in support of them.

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"As part of the global trade union movement, and the art and entertainment our members create, Equity will do all we can to support the voices of working people in Palestine and Israel who want a just and lasting peace."

Watch: Tracy-Ann Oberman discusses anti-Semitism on social media