Gal Gadot has been left ‘scarred’ and ‘reluctant to ever film in London again’ following a wave of anti-Israel and antisemitic protests that have dogged the production of her latest film.
The Wonder Woman star, 40, is currently in the UK shooting The Runner, a political thriller, but has faced persistent demonstrations from pro-Palestinian activists who accuse her of ‘normalising war criminals’ because of her past support for Israel and mandatory service in the Israeli Defence Forces.
According to a source close to the production, Ms Gadot has told friends she is ‘reluctant to ever film in London again’ and has found the experience ‘scarring’.
The source added that those working on the film had become increasingly exasperated by the scale of the disruption, which began earlier this month, and by what they perceived as a lack of firm action by police.
But last week the Metropolitan Police finally took action.
They confirmed that five people were arrested at a filming site in Westminster for attempting to disrupt the production. Two of the arrests were for offences committed at previous protests, while three were for action on the day.
Gal Gadot has been left ‘scarred’ and ‘reluctant to ever film in London again’ following a wave of anti-Israel and antisemitic protests that have dogged the production of her latest film, The Runner
The Wonder Woman star, 40, is currently in the UK shooting The Runner, a political thriller, but has faced persistent demonstrations from pro-Palestinian activists who accuse her of ‘normalising war criminals’ because of her past support for Israel and mandatory service in the Israeli Defence Forces
‘While we absolutely acknowledge the importance of peaceful protest, we have a duty to intervene where it crosses the line into serious disruption or criminality,’ said Superintendent Neil Holyoak.
‘I hope today’s operation shows we will not tolerate the harassment of or unlawful interference with those trying to go about their legitimate professional work in London.’
Protests have taken place over at least 20 days, with activists sharing filming locations on social media and attempting to block access.
One poster, circulated ahead of filming at YY London earlier this month, read: ‘Last time her filming location was circulated, filming was successfully interrupted and activists made the point loud and clear. No to IDF soldiers in our city. No normalising war criminals!! Free Palestine.’
Last month, protesters targeted Ms Gadot while she was filming on Waterloo Bridge, waving Palestinian flags and placards, banging saucepan lids, and blaring sirens.
Chants included ‘Gal Gadot, you can’t hide,’ while signs read ‘Trash Gadot not welcome in London’ and ‘Stop starving Gaza.’
Officers from Scotland Yard dispersed the group, but no arrests were made at that time.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed the recent operation followed weeks of similar disruption ‘solely because an actress involved in the production is Israeli.’
According to a source close to the production, Ms Gadot has told friends she is ‘reluctant to ever film in London again’ and has found the experience ‘scarring’
The source added that those working on the film had become increasingly exasperated by the scale of the disruption, which began earlier this month, and by what they perceived as a lack of firm action by police
Demonstrators disrupted her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in May, chanting ‘Shame on Gal Gadot’ and waving Palestinian flags. Days later, her star on the Walk of Fame was defaced, with vandals scrawling ‘Baby killer’ and altering her surname to ‘Greestien’—a misspelling of her family’s original Jewish name, Greenstein.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism told the Mail: ‘Here is an example of a foreign Jew being made to feel unwelcome. We have all learned the hard way that ‘Free Palestine’ activism does not end with mere rhetoric. The time has come to clamp down once and for all’
Ms Gadot has not commented publicly on the protests, but her treatment has sparked widespread condemnation.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism has condemned the sustained targeting of Ms Gadot, a mother-of-four, warning it reflects a wider climate of hostility toward Jewish people in the UK.
A spokesperson told the Mail: ‘We welcome the arrests of individuals who have allegedly been harassing Gal Gadot and her colleagues during filming. At least the financial cost of allowing the mob unfettered freedom to spew their bile is motivating the authorities to act, even if the social cost has yet to be acknowledged.
‘With Ms Gadot reportedly reconsidering her business in the UK, it remains to be seen whether this is too little too late. Our polling shows that less than half of British Jews feel welcome in the UK.
‘Here is an example of a foreign Jew being made to feel unwelcome. We have all learned the hard way that ‘Free Palestine’ activism does not end with mere rhetoric. The time has come to clamp down once and for all.’
The experience stands in stark contrast to her previous time filming in the UK, including work on Wonder Woman 1984, which shot scenes in London in 2018 without incident.
Her latest visit has unfolded against a backdrop of growing concern over antisemitism in Britain, with the UK increasingly viewed as a hotbed of hostility toward Jewish figures in public life.
Ms Gadot has also faced similar protests in the US.
Demonstrators disrupted her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in May, chanting ‘Shame on Gal Gadot’ and waving Palestinian flags. Days later, her star on the Walk of Fame was defaced, with vandals scrawling ‘Baby killer’ and altering her surname to ‘Greestien’—a misspelling of her family’s original Jewish name, Greenstein.
Stickers with inflammatory messages like ‘Israeli snipers target children’ were also found.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism called the graffiti ‘a modern manifestation of medieval antisemitic tropes,’ likening it to the blood libel.
Ms Gadot’s representatives have been contacted for comment.
