The Metropolitan Police have reportedly decided not to pursue an investigation into the alleged harassment of Dame Helen Mirren by a pro-Palestine activist.
Dame Helen, a revered figure in the entertainment industry and an Academy Award winner at 80, was reportedly subjected to derogatory language by Tom Carroll, a supporter of former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The incident occurred while Dame Helen was walking in London with her husband, film director Taylor Hackford.
Originally, Scotland Yard considered the incident, which took place last year, as a potential hate crime. However, they have since chosen not to move forward with any legal action.
Sources suggest that the decision came after officers consulted with Dame Helen, who has been a vocal advocate for Israel over the years.
Video footage captures the moment when Dame Helen and Mr. Hackford were approached during their walk. Initially, Dame Helen appears unfazed, greeting Carroll with a smile and inquiring about his well-being.
She initially greets the man, who was exclusively identified as Carroll by the Mail, with a smile and asks whether he is ‘OK’.
But the encounter quickly escalated as he launched into an abusive tirade over the actress’s support for Israel.
Carroll said: ‘And there is Helen Mirren the avowed Zionist. You said Israel should last forever because of the Holocaust. And she was very happy the Palestinians’ houses were gone.
Helen Mirren and her husband Taylor Hackford in the video shared by Carroll on social media where he verbally abused the actress calling her a ‘evil Zionist b****’
Corbynista Tom Carroll who abused national treasure Dame Helen Mirren in the street
‘You are an evil Zionist b****. And you [Mr Hackford] as well, f*** you as well.’
As the situation became increasingly hostile, Mr Hackford stepped in and repeatedly told the man to ‘f*** off’ and leave them alone.
The video was first posted by an Instagram account called Anti-Fascist Action UK in November last year but was reuploaded last month.
The Daily Mail established that the Instagram account was linked to a YouTube and PayPal account run by Carroll, who was tagged in an Instagram post linking him with the @antifascistactionuk account.
An X account called GnasherJew – a digital investigation team using open source intelligence to expose anti-Semites – also named Carroll publicly, posting: ‘The individual behind the antifascistactionuk’s account on Instagram who reportedly called Helen Mirren ‘evil Zionist bitch’ has been identified as Tom Carroll.’
In 2018, Carroll was wanted in connection with a brutal assault on an 84-year-old woman at Shoreditch High Street station in east London whilst he was on his way from a violent far-Left protest.
Five years later he handed himself in to police in 2023 where he pleaded not guilty but was sentenced to 12 months’ probation & 200 hours’ community service for the lesser crime of threatening behaviour.
Since then, his Instagram account has been full of anti-Semitic tropes and conspiracy theories, such as suggesting that the Bondi Beach shooting was a ‘false flag’ or ‘staged’.
He has re-posted neo-Nazi propaganda alleging Jews declared war on Germany and are responsible for the Second World War, praising Adolf Hitler and suggested that Anne Frank’s diary was made up.
Other memes he has reposted include one stating: ‘It’s okay to be anti-Semitic.’
He was pictured at a Corbyn Kill the Bill rally in 2022 and at a Labour Party rally in 2018 in St Ives, Cornwall.
Dame Helen has long been outspoken in her support for Israel and opposition to cultural boycotts against the country.
This year, she signed an open letter alongside stars including Amy Schumer, Mila Kunis, Sharon Osbourne and Boy George backing Israel’s inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest.
The actress has also portrayed several notable Jewish figures on screen including Maria Altmann in Woman In Gold and former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in the 2023 film Golda.
Speaking previously about Israel, Dame Helen said: ‘I believe in Israel, in the existence of Israel, and I believe Israel has to go forward into the future, for the rest of eternity… I believe in Israel because of the Holocaust.’
The comments were made during an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 in 2023 while promoting Golda, which focused on Meir’s leadership during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Dame Helen also revealed that some people had attempted to persuade her not to take the role because of Israel’s controversial position on the world stage.
However, she defended her decision, saying: ‘I’ve met such extraordinary people in Israel.’
She added: ‘I know there is a base, a foundation of deep intelligence, thoughtfulness, commitment, poetry even in Israel that is very, very special.’
The actress first visited Israel in 1967 shortly after the Six Day War, volunteering on Kibbutz HaOn near the Sea of Galilee and hitchhiking around the country.
She has also spoken out strongly against cultural boycotts of Israel, arguing that abandoning Israeli artists would be counterproductive.
Despite her support for Israel’s right to exist, Dame Helen has also indicated she does not support every action of the Israeli government and has voiced concern over the country’s political direction.
The Metropolitan Police and Dame Helen’s representatives have been contacted for comment.
