Nicola Coughlan speaks up for Gaza

Demands action for starving children in the war-torn region

Actor Nicola Coughlan has publicly voiced her outrage over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, using her Instagram Stories to draw stark comparisons between media coverage of global tragedies. The Irish actor, known for her roles in Derry Girls and Bridgerton, posed a powerful question to her followers: “If the headline read: 14,000 British babies will starve to death without aid in the next 48 hours, would you stay completely silent?”

She extended the same question to include American and Irish babies, challenging her audience to examine their silence in the face of unimaginable suffering. “If the answer is no,” she continued, “ask yourself why and speak up now.”

Her post came in response to mounting warnings from humanitarian agencies, including a recent alert from UN humanitarian coordinator Tom Fletcher, who stated that 14,000 children in Gaza were at risk of starving to death unless aid was allowed in.

In a follow-up IG Story, Coughlan made her stance clear: “I think it is deeply important that people speak up at this moment.” She emphasised the universality of the right to life and safety for children, regardless of nationality, religion, or background: “No child, no matter where they are from, their religion, anything, should be starved to death by a government.”

Calling the starvation of children in Gaza the “most inhuman thing” she has ever witnessed, Coughlan ended her story with a direct plea: “Permanent ceasefire now.”

Prior to her recent IG Stories, Coughlan had already raised her voice for Gaza publicly at Canneseries last month. Reflecting on her activism, she said: “There is a factor of ‘it’s better if you say nothing’ because our job is to entertain you.” But for Coughlan, silence wasn’t an option. “We are talking about right or wrong, about children being bombed in their beds. I wouldn’t accept that anywhere in the world.”