Charlotte Church has denied claims she is antisemitic after being criticised for taking part in a controversial pro-Palestine concert.
Church led the 100-strong choir and during her 40-minute set sang a rendition of From The River To The Sea – which references the land between the River Jordan, bordering the occupied West Bank and Israel in the east, to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
Many have claimed the song refers to the destruction of the state of Israel, a sentiment that landed Church in hot water in the first place.
After receiving a barrage of backlash from those who watched clips of her concert, the Welsh singer has hit back and insisted she is not antisemitic.
Broadcasting live on her Instagram account on Monday afternoon, Church said: “Just to clarify my intentions there, I am in no way antisemitic.
“I am fighting for the liberation of all people. I have a deep heart for all religions and all differences.
Charlotte discussed the concert on her Instagram live
"It was a beautiful, beautiful event. But unfortunately, the powers that be can't have that. [They] can't have such a powerful symbol of resistance as what we worked towards on Saturday.”
She confirmed the gig had ended with a chant of the words: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
“Clearly, if you know the history of it all, [it is] not an antisemitic chant calling for the obliteration of Israel. It is not that in any way shape or form. It is calling for the peaceful coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians,” she added.
People within the Jewish community were left furious and disappointed with Church after the concert and accused her of trying to teach “kids to sing extremist lyrics”.
Jewish MP Andrew Percy was one critic of the incident and explained it was “deeply concerning” before adding he thought those who joined in should “hand their heads in shame”.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism urged the Charity Commission to begin an investigation, with the organisation explaining: "The genocidal chant ‘From the River to the Sea’ refers to the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
"And only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world's only Jewish state - and its replacement with a Palestinian state. It is a call for the annihilation of half the world's Jews, who live in Israel.
"Since 7th October, when Hamas committed their barbaric terrorist acts, we have heard this chant on the streets of Britain during anti-Israel marches, accompanied by all manner of anti-Jewish racism.
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Charlotte Church was slammed for her performance
"Singing 'From the River to the Sea' is not standing up for human rights. At best Charlotte Church has been tone deaf, but at worst she is using the voice for which she is so well known to fan the flames of hatred.
"You cannot stoop lower than using your stardom to teach kids to sing extremist lyrics in a village hall. We will be writing to the Charity Commission to ask them to investigate how this was allowed to take place on a charity's premises."
